Red Moon
by AirbrushedGolem
Summary: Main characters forced into an familiar world where something quite sinister is happening. Messy colab with Delu. ABANDONED
1. Chapter 1

Hi there everyone. First off, I don't own Pokemon. This statement goes for every chapter. Next, this is a REWRITE of Red Moon, a story I started in tandem with Delu's Red Tide. It was never finished and I literally hadn't updated in 4 years for multiple reasons, but you're not here to hear about those, eh? Enjoy the story.

You can expect weekly updates.

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Prologue:

The copy of Pokemon Emerald rested in my hand and I grinned, taking the stairs two at a time to get to my system faster. In preparation I had plugged the system in before I left earlier that day. Quickly popping out Ruby with a tilted smile I put Emerald in in it's place. "I'll have to get around to completing Ruby later." I mumbled to myself, kicking my legs up on the desk.

I was already taken by the opening, nodding slightly as I button mashed through Birch's opening sequence. It was something I had seen many times over with the amount of times I had restarted Ruby. Still a little more interesting than the opening to Diamond in my opinion.

I checked the screen, raising an eyebrow at seeing the costume change on Brendan and liking it after a few seconds. Let's see now, character name... I really never used my own name but felt like it this time around. R-Y-A-N. That about covered the introduction, and I pressed start.

Everything went quiet as I clicked A a few more times to get past Birch, the edges of my sight growing darker without raising alarm in me. Slowly my vision seemed to pull back and then I couldn't see the screen anymore.

As I fell through the darkness I caught a sound of voices. "NO! We're … him... plan B ri... Do I... ow!"

The voice made no sense then pain rocked me and my mind faded into unconsciousness.

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Chapter 1:

I jolted and gasped, letting out a groan of pain. My whole body ached and I couldn't remember why. Sunlight was streaming across my face as I ran my hands over the sheets, sure I could find my cell phone or a game system that would have the time. I definitely didn't have a wall clock visible from the bed. Finding nothing I slowly sat up, my body giving a groan of protest.

I rubbed a hand across my eyes, then stared. I could see my hand clearly, and everything beyond it. I was in a small room. A desk pressed into the opposite side, the edge pushed against the cream colored walls. A laptop sat on top of it, and a jacket rested over the chair. Past the end of the bed was a closet door, slightly ajar. A small mirror hung between the closet and the door out.

I pushed myself up, not caring that I was somewhere strange at all. All I cared about was the fact that I could _see_! My eyes worked perfectly, I was no longer so near sighted that my hand before my face was blurry.

I stood and looked down at myself. I was wearing a pair of black pajama bottoms and a white t-shirt. I ran my hand down the material, feeling the mesh type fabric smoothly against my fingers. The shirt was cotton, slightly rough after the feeling of the pants.

Looking up, I thought quickly about where I was and what had happened. Maybe I had had slight amnesia. A laser eye surgery appointment had been scheduled for a week after the last thing I remembered, and I could have gotten it, be spending the month before my twentieth birthday at a friend's, and have hit my head or something.

_Yes, that's it. Nothing is wrong, just a little bump to the noggin after some exercise to explain the pain. I'll remember everything soon enough. _I sat at the desk, looking through the pile of papers. The one on top was titled _Vesicular Stomatitis__. _I picked the packet up and flipped through it.

The paper talked about a disease that affected Pokemon and sounded very similar to rabies to me. Violent, foaming mouth, etc. Moving into the next section, which covered the leagues parameters on catching wild Pokemon in this time of crisis. It seemed that capture was limited to the first one seen in each area, and breaking this law was highly punishable.

Chuckling, I set the paper down. _Aiden must have written this, it sounds as highly scientific as usual__, _I thought, _I must have asked him to write it for a new fan fiction or something. Maybe we are writing a colab?_

I walked over to the closet, shutting the door before I checked the mirror. I stared, _This can't... What the. _My thoughts started to run in circles. In the mirror was a kid, early teens or maybe a little older than ten. He looked like me, the brown eyes having a small bit of green near the edges. The skin was slightly pale, having a small tan from little sun. But the hair! The hair was white! Leaning in I gasped, seeing that that wasn't exactly true. It was more a really _really_ light brown and had white streaks running through it.

I almost laughed, then I almost sobbed. Something was definitely wrong here, but I wouldn't panic. I breathed deeply, trying to think. All the ideas I had were off, my logic failing to explain how I was nine years younger, and with white hair to boot!

Slowly my heart slowed and I slumped into the desk chair, just letting my head be clear for a few minutes. It seemed as if I could float away as I lulled myself.

Eventually, I stood, again examining the face in the mirror. The boy that stared back was me. Or what I had looked like when I was younger, minus the white hair. I slipped the closet door open and looked at the clothes hanging there. There were a couple pairs of pants and a couple shirts. The pants were weird, to say the least. They seemed to be some sort of canvas that had an extra pair of short looking thing sewn onto them.

The shirts were much better, an orange half circle/line pattern on the front and the rest being black. A collar rose from the material, giving the clothing a hint of class.

I quickly dressed, ignoring the pair of fingerless gloves and instead sticking them in a wide pocket. A pair of shoes sat before the door out along with a green sling backpack. I put both on and walked out of the room, shutting the door behind me.

The hall I was in had three other doors and a window, the other direction leading to the stairs. The first floor was very neat and clean, and I appreciated the orderly look. The kitchen was through an arch to the back, a breakfast bar in the opened wall. Other than that, there was a table with four chairs around it.

It all looked very simple to me, and I walked back through the kitchen, making my way to the back door. Slipping out was easy, the door swinging quietly behind me. The backyard was grass for a little bit before a dirt road crossed it, leading away into a town. It was a very small little town in the country, only a few other houses. Three buildings rose to the north, and to my left there was a small lake. The buildings were very straight forward, two looking like convenience stores with a red and blue roof. The last was a bit away, the look making it seem like a hospital, because it was bigger.

Trees surrounded the town for the most part, the dirt road leading out to either direction. I sat against the house and watched clouds skid by. It was maybe six in the morning, and very little was going on.

As I sat there a man walked into town, a small brown and white dog trailing behind him. He walked past the blue and red roofed buildings, then turned toward the house I was sitting outside.

As he came closer I gasped. Following behind him was a POKEMON! It had looked like a dog from a distance, but now I could see it was a Zigzagoon, one of my favorite Pokemon. I watched the small thing run in zigzags behind the man, sometimes going farther and looking at things closely.

My mind turned back to the papers I had found in the room, then back to my new emerald game. It all clicked and I felt like puking. I had fallen into my game and could be a trainer! It was either that or I was crazy, and the drugs at the psych ward were giving me lucid dreams.

I preferred the first.

And the papers. They were so scientific because they were actually documents, not something made up. Which also meant that the world I was now in was going through a bad time with the disease and limits on trainers.

"Ryan! You ready to go?"

The voice caught me off guard and I looked up, locking eyes with the man before it clicked that _I_ was being talked to. My mind was sluggish and fuzzy as I had trouble recognizing my own name. I nodded, somewhat confused as to what I was ready for.

He waved me up, and I did so, approaching the man.

"What? No hug for your Dad?"

I was startled again, and obliged while I took in his looks. He was very plain looking, brown hair and eyes, tanned skin, yet not very memorable. After he let me go I knelt down, running a hand over the Zigzagoon that had come with the man. I wished that I had a Zigzagoon, even though there was a fifty percent chance that it was all a dream.

"Zig." said the small creature, grunting past something in his mouth. I reached down and it dropped a small bottle filled with a dark yellow liquid into my hand.

"An antidote, that'll come in handy." the man, my dad, said. I slipped the small spray into a side pocket on my pack and stood up. The man quickly dragged me to the town exit, and I was glad that it seemed he wasn't going to give me a lecture on everything, like they usually did in the games. Ahead the route was very... standard... Trees rose to either side, ledges filled the area, and trainers waited in the tall grass. I was dragged with my heels literally forming ruts. We were moving so fast that by the time trainers challenged him, we were out of earshot and I dared not try to start walking for fear of falling.

A wild Pokemon jumped in front of us and stood its ground. It was a small Lotad, mostly blocking our path. I thought we would stop, but the man proved me wrong by keeping a steady pace.

"Ziggy! Headbutt!" he yelled, and the Zigzagoon raced ahead, smashing the small thing out of our way.

I felt my stomach drop as I heard a crunch. A small tear was in the thing's forehead, bone protruding slightly. The blood mixed with a slightly gray liquid, and I felt like puking.

It was dead.

This world was different in many ways from the game so far. But here was the biggest. Pokemon died. I breathed deep as the man drug me through Oldale. Before it had been hard to think of him as a Dad, but now it was impossible. The guy was a lunatic.

He babbled cheerfully, obviously thinking nothing of what he had done, as we flew past the four buildings in Oldale. As we approached route 101, if I remember correctly, and I grew apprehensive again.

Ahead would be two bad things. Either my 'dad' would run into another wild Pokemon in the grass, or we would go over the ledges. They really weren't that bad looking, maybe three feet high, but going over any of them at this speed would hurt.

I was right.

The landing was hard, and went mostly on my right wrist, as the man was still holding my left arm tight. I gasped at the pain but quickly straightened, falling into the being dragged pose as I waved my wrist, making sure it wasn't broken.

Littleroot Town was ahead, three buildings making it up. I wondered at this, questioning how the Pokemon Company could call three buildings a town. Sure, one of 'ems a lab, but there were only two houses and some homeless people wandering around. At least I _think _they're homeless, I mean there are two families that actually live here, and if this is following the games, then the rest live nowhere or the woods or something.

I hit myself mentally, to stop myself thinking so hard when we stopped at the lab. I sighed as the man let me go, rubbing both of my wrists to relieve the pain in both.

"Here we are, the lab. Go on in and get your Pokemon."

All I could do was stare in shock as the man walked away. I was getting a Pokemon! A region starter, it looked like, and I couldn't wait. I stopped myself from going in though. This man, who claimed to be a father, was walking away instead of watching his child get a Pokemon.

I watched the man stomp away cheerily and shuddered when I saw the ground under him. There were small drag marks where I had been dragged and even a few footprints when I had been able to run between the dragging. That was it. Only my footprints were there. Whatever my dad was, he didn't leave a single mark.


	2. Chapter 2

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Chapter 2

I heaved another sigh, wishing that this world would make more sense than it does. I stepped forward and opened the door to the building in front of me and walked in to what I expected. The walls were clean and white. A few machines were scattered around and an assistant was working on one of them. Near the back stood professor birch, the Pokemon Professor of the region.

I squinted for a little while at the man. He was mid to upper thirties and had a well trimmed beard with wild hair. His face was very square and was wearing sandals under a lab coat and shorts. I felt a dull throbbing when I tried to remember his name until it clicked. Birch. As soon as I remembered the pain faded.

The only thing that wasn't expected was another person standing next to Birch and talking quickly to him. The boy was a little taller than me, which was to be expected, since I de-aged, and was now, presumably, ten. He wore a long sleeve red and black shirt, black pants with yellow accents a the ends, and black and yellow fingerless gloves.

As I watched, he slid a funny looking white hat on over his black hair and I recognized him. It was Brendan, the male sprite/rival for ruby and sapphire. I quickly glanced at my clothes and realized that they were the emerald version clothes for him. I was glad he wasn't wearing them, and also glad that I looked nothing like him, except the white hair, but his was a hat.

I laughed lightly, thinking back to all those boards on the internet that had argued over whether it was hair or a hat. I guess I had that answer, and even though I had been one of the ones to argue hair, I was glad it wasn't, I really didn't want to look anymore like him except for the clothes that he didn't even wear.

Unfortunately, my laugh attracted their attention, and when I looked up again they were all staring at me. It was a little creepy, cuz all the sounds they were making had cut off.

"Um... Hi." I murmured, my voice breaking the quite, "I'm Ryan, a new trainer?"

"Ah!" Professor Birch almost yelled, "You can get your new Pokemon right away, but first I'll need to see your trainer card."

I grew anxious and slipped my pack off, hoping that it was in there. In the front pocket, which also had a Pokeball, was a small plastic card. I pulled it out and looked at it closely. It literally said 'Trainer Card' in the top left hand corner, the top right having my ID number. There was a picture of me on the right, and my stats on the left. In Name it read Ryan Terrar, and gave me a weird pang behind my eye. It took me a few minutes to snap out of the feeling that something was immensely wrong with my last name.

I handed the bit of plastic over to Birch and looked to Brendan. He had a Mudkip sitting on his shoulder and was talking to it. I watched until the Professor tapped my shoulder, redirecting my attention to three Pokeballs set out on the table. In front of each was a small little picture tag of what was inside.

I looked over each and instantly ruled out Mudkip. I had no want to relate myself to Brendan anymore, and I also always picked water, it was time for a change. I had it down to Torchic and Treecko. Treecko was cool looking, and would be good against the first gym, but Torchic was a fire type and with the new rules in place would provide me with a type I probably wouldn't get my hands on later. When it evolved it would be fire/fighting. It would be useful later against steel types and normal types.

Shaking my head ruefully, I reached for Treecko's ball. It was cooler, less likely to cook me, and the last part of the game was all ocean and cave anyways. There's no way I could go wrong with that.

I picked up the Treecko ball. "I pick-"

"Actually, that ball is empty. Sorry it slipped my mind but I only have a Torchic right now. Ah, Torchic, it's a very good choice for someone who wants to be a powerful trainer." Birch said, cutting me off. "Why don't you let it out and give it a nickname?"

After placing Treecko's ball back on the counter and picking up my second choice I pressed the button on the ball and released the small bird. Professor Birch handed me a Pokedex that was already displaying the information on my little bird. It seemed to be male and level seven, knowing scratch, growl, and focus energy.

"Level seven?" I questioned the professor.

"Well, the other Torchic I had was taken yesterday by a new trainer, and I've had this one at the lab for a little longer."

I nodded, only half listening to his explanation as I thought over a nickname. _Blaze and those kind of nicknames are overused_, I thought. It would definitely be better to go with something more original, yet still related to fire types. In the back of my head I was still sour over the fact that I wouldn't have a Treecko.

"Hey, little bud." I said, crouched next to the bird. "I'm Ryan, your new trainer. How would you like to be named Volk, short for volcano?"

"Tor-CHIC!" Volk yelled, jumping up and down, then blushing and hiding from the onlookers behind me. I nodded to the three inside and walked out, Volk clinging to me. I sat out side against a tree at the southern part of town. The sun was now coming up and I watched as cloud's shadows skidded by.

As Volk ran around, chirping happily, I opened my pack to see what rested inside. In the main part I had a few changes of clothes, all looking the same as what I currently wore. The side pockets yielded more, the left having the antidote from earlier and the right holding about five potions.

I glanced up, working a crick out of my neck and glimpsed someone wearing red and black walking toward Oldale. That reminded me that there was a Pokemart in the town. I wondered if they sold clothes there, then turned my attention back to my bag.

Underneath the clothing was a very compressed sleeping bag. I was amazed at how small and light it was, and glad that I had it. The last pocket I had already looked through. I replaced my trainer ID and slipped the five extra Pokeballs in. I put the backpack back on and placed Volk's ball in a small Pokeball pocket in the front and stretched.

If there was one thing I knew about this world, it was that I was already in love with it.


	3. Chapter 3

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Chapter 3

The ball made a successful ding and stopped shaking. I let out a deep sigh of relief, the battle having taken more out of me than I had thought it would. Watching your only Pokemon participate in a battle that could end its life was harrowing.

I picked up the ball and smiled sadly. I had been hoping with everything that the first Pokemon I ran into would be a Zigzagoon, but I had run into a Poochyena. The glossy ball reflected a bit of the sun and felt nice in my hand.

"C'mon out Poochyena!" I yelled, throwing the ball in the air. The flash of red light faded, and standing before me was a little Poochyena. I took out my Pokedex and flipped through the menus, finally making it to the one that listed my Pokemon's stats. He was level two and knew tackle. I smirked at the small screen, feeling ridiculous for not having known that most low level Pokemon only had one or two moves. I slipped the dex back into my pocket and introduced myself and Volk to the bundle of fur.

"How would you like to be named Tiberius, Tibs for short?" I asked. He gave me a confused look, then barked positively. Running up he nuzzled me and I pulled him into my arms and gave him a hug. The action gave me an odd sense of deja vu that I had to brush off. I finally let him go and smiled, returning both of my Pokemon to their balls.

I stood and arched my back, feeling the bones crackle nicely. In front of me, the route opened to Oldale town. I watched as a Pokemart worker lead someone to the store, and two residents talked near the Pokemon center. The town had a rustic feel that I liked, drawing me in towards it.

Entering the Pokemon Center, I was surprised to see it was smaller than the game portrayed. I walked over to the desk and handed over the two Pokeballs, watching as the nurse and a Chansey walked to a back room to, presumably, heal them. Upstairs there was a cafeteria. Lunch was being served, and I got in line, paying the small amount of money to get food. My meal cost five Pokedollars and then I bought ten packets of Pokefood, each for two Pokedollars.

I ate my lunch in peace, almost no one else up here. The windows were overlooking route 102, and I gazed out, thinking to the early morning 'run' I had had there. Gazing at the ceiling as I ate, I wondered if my family was worried, and if my 'body' was still there, because my mind was obviously here. I wondered why I had changed, even if only a little, when I came here, and if it had anything to do outside circumstances. Lastly, I wondered if anybody else was here from my own world. I figured that if so, they would probably be more caring than the people I had met here. A shiver ran down my spine as something surfaced in my mind, half remembered from when I had initially passed out. The words had been so frantic.

My Pokemon were healed within an hour, and I gave each a pack of food. I ran a hand over each as they ate, getting an indifferent response from Volk, although I did see a small blush on his face, and a nuzzle into my hand from Tiberius.

As the two finished their food, I looked out the window toward the west. A trainer was walking down the road toward town, but she would probably be a few more minutes. I placed Volk and Tiberius back into their balls and slipped out the door, heading north.

As I walked, I watched the sky. Clouds skidded across the blue, acting the sailboats in reverse. Ahead, Route 103 opened. Ledges lead to the top of the route, looking easily scalable, but that wasn't the point for me. I wanted to catch a Zigzagoon. The first patch of tall grass rose in front of me, and hopefully would contain the object of my desires.

I released Tiberius, quietly informing him that we would be searching through the tall grass, seeking a Zigzagoon.

"And if you see a different Pokemon first, don't call me over, take it out. The rule is whatever Pokemon __I__ see, not the first you see." Tiberius grinned toothily at my idea and ran into the grass, me close behind.

I opened grass left and right, hoping to see the zigged brown and white fur. The sun skidded across the sky as I searched, every once in a while hearing Tiberius bark out at an enemy. Finally I sighed.

"Tiberius!" I called, him running to very quickly. I walked out of the grass and sat next to the water. Pulling him into my lap, I sprayed a potion onto his wounds, fixing up the damage he had received through the day. I lay back, Tiberius still on top of me and wondered about Zigzagoons. Maybe they weren't in this area? I had searched for hours and not seen a single Pokemon, thanks to Tiberius, but he hadn't seen a single Zigzagoon.

As I looked to the sky, I heard a rustling behind me.

"Wiiin-Guuuuul!" it called. I sighed and turned, a smirk on my face. At least if I couldn't get a Zigzagoon then I could get a Pokemon that would beat Roxanne into the ground. I lifted Tiberius and set him in front of me. He looked back nervously and I smiled, nodding to show him it was okay to go for it.

Tiberius ran forward, confronting the small bird in front of him. He let out a bone-chilling howl. _That's Howl!_ I thought to myself gleefully. This would be a cinch.

"Tibs, Tackle!" I yelled. He ran forward and leapt at the Wingull, who saw it coming and flapped into the air. It rose higher than shot a water gun down, drenching my Poochyena. Tiberius shook it off, the drops flying to the ground. He looked no worse for wear, but I knew that the attack had to have done some sort of damage.

"Use Howl!" I yelled, hoping my half formed idea worked. Tiberius reared back and let out a bone chilling howl, effectively raising his attack and knocking the Wingull out of the sky in a panic. It landed hard on the ground and I called for a tackle before it could get up. Tiberius lunged forward and hit it directly, sending it stumbling. I took out a Pokeball and tossed it, allowing the ball to score a little more damage on the bird before it was sucked in.

I held my breath as the ball shook, finally stopping after a minute. I sat in relief, the tension flowing away as Tiberius came up and dropped the ball into my lap. I lifted the ball and let out Wingull, along with Volk. Introducing the two, I quickly came up with a nickname for the small male bird.

"How about Peck?" I asked, and got a gleeful cry in return. My party was growing quickly. My first day and I had three Pokemon. Volk the Torchic, Tiberius the Poochyena and Peck the Wingull. Returning the three, I made my way back to the Pokemon center.

Walking back into the afternoon light I headed towards route 102 with my healthy team. I ran through what I was likely to see here for wild Pokemon, and came up with Lotad, Ralts, and Zigzagoon for the Pokemon I wanted. There were probably also Tailow, which would be good.

I walked to the small pond to the north of the route. It was the most likely place to find Lotads after all. I crept through the grass, searching for a Pokemon. Ahead, the grass shook and I leapt forward, excited for what I would find. Then I yelled in disgust.

In front of me was a Wurmple. In my opinion the most __worthless___ P_okemon there was. The only caterpillar worth catching was Caterpie, because it would either be a cool psychic Butterfree. Why did it have to be a Wurmple?!

I let out Volk and called for a scratch. Instead a blast of flame came out, burning the Wurmple to a crisp. I smiled at Volk and rubbed his head, getting a pleased 'Tooor' in return. I turned to walk away, Volk in my arms, and was startled to see a kid staring at me.

"What's your problem?" I asked irritably. Wasn't it bad enough that I had run into a Wurmple instead of something useful?

He just looked at me, shook his head, then mumbled something like 'first that girl with the Ralts, and now _this_.' I wondered what girl he was talking about, then shook my own head and walked away. Now was time for some hard core grinding with the few Pokemon I had.


	4. Chapter 4

**School started, getting back to the story no**w.

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Chapter 4

I walked into Petalburg as the sun set, the lights from the shops clicking on. I stopped at the Pokemon center and healed my Pokemon before walking to my 'home'. I looked at the gym, remembering that it was the fifth gym or something. The sign listed it as the normal gym, an evolved Volk would do well here. That took a bit of the sting out of not getting a choice away. Fighting types were a bit harder to find here, weren't they?

The lights were on in my house, and as I went to open the door, it opened and smacked me in the nose. I fell back, holding my face as tears pricked at my eyes. I looked up to see who it was that had opened the door, and saw a sickly looking kid with green hair.

"Ryan!" he yelled. "I'm sorry! I was waiting at your house, because I wanted to say bye before I went to my relatives in Verdanturf."

After he said this, my eyes widened. It was Wally, the friend/rival of Hoenn. He helped me up and we went inside. I looked him over and agreed with the game description of him being sickly. His skin was pale and he had bags under his eyes. We chatted, or more like he chatted and I listened.

It seemed that he had met the gym leader's daughter and she had helped him catch a Ralts, which he introduced to me. In return I introduced Volk, Tiberius, and Peck. Wally was surprised that I had, 'caught so many', as he put it.

I chuckled at this and told him about the Wurmple that I had passed up, not mentioning that it was more accidental than anything, and about all the trainers I had fought on the way here. I was surprised at how much I had accomplished in a day, and felt tired after talking so much. I asked Wally when he was leaving, and which way he was going.

"Well, it's night right now, so I won't leave till the morning, and I'm going through Rustboro."

I perked up at this and asked if he wanted to travel together to Rustboro, since I was going there too.

We continued to talk late into the night as our Pokemon played with each other and slowly fell asleep one by one. That night the room I had woken up in was full of Pokemon and two fresh trainers eager to explore the world.

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Morning came with no hesitation, casting the light of the sun into my eyes. I sat up groggily and wiped my eyes clear of sleep, walking slowly to the bathroom. Wally and Ralts were still asleep on the cot we had found for him and my Pokemon were sprawled across the covers of my bed, all breathing softly. I was glad there was no snoring from the group. Being a light sleeper, I would have been a zombie if they snored.

I stared at my familiar, yet different face in the mirror. I was definitely a little older than Wally looked to be, but it was hard to tell with the light brown and white streaked hair. I pulled back the locks with my hands and looked at the mirror again, trying to visualize myself with brown hair to see what I would look like but it wasn't working.

Digging in the drawers of the vanity lead to a few good things. One was a set of combs and toiletries I could add to my backpack and the other was a package of hair dye. The brand was "Pokedye" and the color was "Zigzagoon Brown". Besides the odd terminology it looked and seemingly worked like normal hair dye, at least with the instructions.

An hour and a shower later I looked into the mirror again and grinned, looking a bit more like my old self, minus the glasses. The shade of 'Zigzagoon Brown' was exactly what it looked like. With my new hair color I nodded, liking that it made me look _normal_.

...

Breakfast had been a quiet affair, both of us eager to set out and having talked enough last night. The walk out of Petalburg was more of an emotional rollercoaster. Though I had 'grown up' there I had no qualms of leaving the Other Father behind but Wally was already starting to miss his parents.

"Hey, come on Wally, this is a new route, yeah?" I got a nod out of the sickly kid and shook my head slightly. "Well, we're trainers now! How about we catch some Pokemon! Or, you know, just the first ones we see." 

"Actually, Ryan?" Wally started, rubbing his arm in embarrassment. "I'm not a trainer. Non trainers are only allowed one or two Pokemon, depending on occupation."

I made a small 'o' with my mouth in response, nodding sagely. "Well, I'm definitely going to catch another Pokemon for my team, at least..."

I walked up the stairs and approached the long grass that was here, hoping for something better than a wurmple. Wally stepped up behind me, watching with Ralts held in his arms. As I was about to step into the grass something scratched across my head, a thin trickle of blood sliding over my forehead. I jumped back and ran a hand through my hair, my hand coming away red. 

"Ryan! Are you OK?" Wally shouted, voice trembling. I waved him back, eyes scanning for my attacker before spotting the winged fiend.

"TAILOOOWWWWW!" the bird screamed at me, coming around and looking like it would peck me at any time. I reached to the backpack strap and pulled out Volk's ball.

"Volk!" I yelled as the light faded and my Torchic assumed a fighting pose, growling at the bird in front of us. "Use ember on it!"

He complied, launching the small balls of flame at our opponent. The Tailow swooped out of the way, only getting nicked on the wing tip by one of them. Its speed amazed me as it rounded us again and again. I yelled for Volk to launch the ember straight up. The flames poured into the sky, then drifted down like a luminous rain.

I was amazed at how beautiful it was, and then at how effective. The Tailow was caught in the rain, its own speed making it run into a large amount of the flame. It flew lower, beneath where the flames were going out and flew toward Volk.

"Use scratch." I said, still awed by the ember fountain. Volk turned his attention, letting the flames go out. At the last second he jumped above the Tailow and scratched along its back. It gave one last yell of defiance before calling out and standing, panting, on the ground.

I quickly threw a Pokeball and it dinged almost immediately. I brought out two potion bottles and let the Tailow out, quickly spraying one bottle over it and the other on Volk.

"You are one fast little bugger." I murmured to the Tailow as I checked the wounds, making sure that they were all healed before relaxing. I pulled out my Pokedex and checked over the Tailow, finding out that she was greatly gifted in the speed category. _Duh, of course she's fast, she was like a bottle rocket, zipping around like that._ I grinned at this thought.

"Hello, Rocket," I said to her, getting a nod in return. "Ket for short. You are the first female member of my team."

"That was so cool..." Wally said, walking closer as if afraid Ket would attack him as well. I touched my head where the scratch was already scabbing over. "Wow Ryan, that was just amazing. You're a great trainer!"

I blushed and shook my head, then released the rest of my team, introducing them all to Ket as an excuse to not answer. She was good spirited and dealt well with all of my team, overcoming the almost shy demeanor of Tiberius and Volk, while she connected with Peck, who seemed to be joking around. I smiled at my small group, then returned Volk and Tiberius.

"We're going to train in this area for a little!" I yelled to the two fliers. They both called an affirmative and landed, each on one of my shoulders. Wally gave me that impressed look again that made me uncomfortable, and kept close to my side. As we wandered through the grass I heard a yelp and a high squeal. The sounds were so savage that I could feel my throat tightening.

I pushed forward and signaled Wally to hang back again. He complied and the birds on my shoulders crouched in on themselves as the sounds grew nearer. I finally parted the grass and saw a clearing ahead. It was small and surrounded by high grass, except the side that ended in the small cliff to the beach. What was inside the clearing made my breath stop.

A Poochyena, foaming at the mouth, was finishing tearing the tail from a Marill who was also foaming at the mouth. A thick discolored liquid dripped from the tail stub, congealing in the grass underneath. I gagged at the smell of two, the cloying scent of blood very heavy here.

Both heard the small sound and turned toward me. I was scared stiff, their eyes yelling murder at me. The foam dripped from the Poochyena's mouth in the brief lull before both snarled and lunged forward.

Peck and Ket reacted quickly. Peck blew the two back with a well placed water gun before they could reach me as Ket pumped herself up. I regained my senses and analyzed the battle in front of me. Both were weak, yet still very savage with the rabies like disease.

"Ket," I said to the bird on my right. "Fly between them and distract them. Peck them when they aren't looking at you. Peck, you use water gun on them and try to knock them to the ground."

Both leaped into action. I watched as they used the tactics well, distracting the enemies and striking alternately. I felt my tension build as I remembered that the disease was contagious. I had no need to worry, though, as both enemies were soon down and out, their bodies laying in the clearing.

I left quickly, making my way to the edge of the grass patch and leaving my small breakfast to water it. Both of my birds were making light sounds of their name, rubbing my face with their wings and soothing me. The sight was still strong in my mind. I cleared my mind as I sat there, being comforted by my Pokemon.

Soon I was better, and I smiled to each of them before scratching them appreciatively on the heads. I walked away from the grass and let the sea sooth me.

"Wally?" I called out, trying to find my companion. I soon found him in a similar position to mine, huddled over what had been his breakfast. I walked up behind him and pulled him into a hug, patting the slightly smaller and sickly boy's back.

…

**Pokemon:**

Torchic – Volk

Poochyena – Tiberius

Wingull – Peck

Tailow - Rocket


	5. Chapter 5

…

…

…

Chapter 5

After an hour Wally was back on his feet and had a bit more color to his pale face. I was feeling a lot better myself though I could not tell if it was from blocking out the image or if it was just that TV had made me used to death. I still found animal deaths to be sadder than humans and here it carried over to being sad about the Pokemon I'd been forced to deal with.

"Hey Wally." I started, slightly hesitant. "Does it bother you that Pokemon die in battles between trainers?"

The green haired boy stopped and looked at me as if I had asked him if clouds in the sky were weird. "Well, if it's bloody or with big injuries, yeah. Blood doesn't make me feel good. But it's what happens. Less in the high level matches with all the training the Pokemon have gone through, but early battles it always happens. It never bothered you before."

"W-well," I thought quick, and with surprise. "It's never been so up close. On my way to get my starter my dad killed a Pokemon with his Zigzagoon."

Wally nodded sympathetically, not noticing my pause before I said dad. I feel as though that would have been weirder than my apparent change of heart and we left the conversation there. Neither of us wanted to continue down the line of thought that we had ended up on.

A few minutes later we entered the forest and I noticed that it was cooler, the shade giving a nice breath of relief from the warm Hoenn day. Ahead I could see a bug catcher prowling through the grass, net posed to strike. I gripped Tiberius' ball and walked forward. As I approached, he turned and caught my eyes, challenging me to a battle.

"Sure," I accepted, throwing the ball forward. "Go, Tibs! Howl!" I figured that since it was the very start of the battle and the opponent hadn't set out their Pokemon, I would start it off with an early bonus.

He narrowed his eyes at the tactic and released a Wurmple, as I thought he would. He called for a string shot, which blasted out and stuck one of Tiberius' paws to the ground.

"Rip it off with your teeth, then tackle that bug!" I yelled, excited for the battle, and getting to train up Tiberius. He bit the string and ripped it off, getting free, then tackled the Wurmple, knocking it out in one shot. I gasped at the power of the hit, and wondered at the energy.

The bug catcher let out a Silcoon, which he bragged about just catching. All I could do was smirk at his idiocy, knowing that if you caught them in the cocoon form, all they could do was harden. I easily took down the Silcoon and the Cascoon that followed, before he sent out another Wurmple. I grinned and called for one last tackle at the same time as the boy.

They ran into each other and fell to the ground. I waited, breath held as Tiberius struggled up, panting lightly over the out cold Wurmple. I yelled happily and jumped up and down, Tiberius letting out a jubilant howl as the boy passed over my prize money. I congratulated him on the astounding match with his new Pokemon, truly impressed that he was as good as he was when he had only just caught them.

I leaned down and hugged Tiberius, happy with the victory. I left Tiberius out of his ball. Wally smiled when we retreated to him, Ralts clapping from his arms. I noticed that the small Pokemon looked more eager now than it had before and had to wonder if Wally having his Pokemon out was functioning like an exp share would. I wouldn't complain if it had, since that meant his Pokemon would soon be able to actually protect him.

We headed into the grass behind the bug catcher and made it through without an encounter. I wondered if the whole trip would be like that, or if Pokemon would actually come out. I wanted to catch another. 

"Hey, Wally, what kind of trainer would you be if there wasn't the law about catching the first you see? Hypothetically of course, since you'd need a trainer's license."

Wally walked beside me, his face scrunched up in thought. It was a long silence as we walked, though the air was filled with the rustling of trees. After a few minutes I forgot about the question and enjoyed the light that trickled down through the canopy.

This area was pretty deserted of Pokemon, though I could see trainers milling around. They must have caught all the bugs in the area. To me that was just good news. Rarer Pokemon are always deeper in the wilderness, if the cartoon taught me anything. At least that's where they found them all.

My brow furrowed as I drew a blank. Who was the main character's name? Allen? Something like that. He was always lucky and got a mix of rare and strong Pokemon, but that's what happened with main characters. I really do wonder what it would be like, as a main character. Profit falling from the skies, rare Pokemon and Legendaries to catch, maybe a wacky sidekick. A sideways glance at Wally had me smirking. He definitely didn't fit 'wacky'.

"I would train nursing Pokemon." Wally suddenly stated, making me jump. It took me a little bit for it to click what he was talking about.

"Like, the baby Pokemon? Pichu, Igglybuff, Mime Jr and such?"

"No, though they would be cute. I mean like what Nurse Joy and doctors keep around. Stuff like Chansey, or even Ralts here, since he can tell emotions. I think it would be cool to help people feel better both in mind and body." He ended the speech with a light, but deep cough as I watched in worry. I could see his reasoning and it was a lot more selfless than mine would have been. "What about you Ryan?"

I shook my head, wondering if Ralts had sent him a message about what I was thinking. "I would train water types, maybe try and become a Gym Leader. Either that or just adventure and take Pokemon that want to come with me and become a Pokemon Doctor." Tiberius nudged into my leg, making it very clear that he would want to come with me even if the law wasn't in place. "I don't like seeing Pokemon get hurt."

"That's actually really cool. With the law the second one is definitely more realistic though. I bet you could even get some books on it in Fallarbor Town. The Pokemon Center there has a big wall of books. Not as big as the Pokemon League's, but that's hard to compare to and Fallarbor is easier to get to."

"I... will think about that." I mused, tapping my chin. "Wait, isn't there a school in Rustboro?"

"The school is just for beginning trainers. They don't have anything for advanced students or researchers. I heard that they may have closed the school down for now, though. I didn't catch the reason." 

"How about we drop by before we split and see why then?" I asked, a mischievous smile on my face.

Wally laughed, head back and genuine and I smiled regularly, glad to have cheered the kid up. He hadn't smiled since we left the puddle of vomit by the road.

As I was about to say more Tiberius stopped in front of me, causing me to almost trip as he growled low and deep. There in front of us was a red worm with yellow stingers. I half smiled, the Wurmple now catching up to me, since I hadn't caught the one before.

"You know, I was still holding a little hope for a Zigzagoon." I said, half jokingly. "Tibs, Tackle!"

…

After spraying an Antidote on Tiberius and a potion on both him and Willis I smiled, looking over the two. "Welcome to the team Willis, you'll fit right in. Are you ready to get some training in?"

The Wurmple nodded eagerly, grinning and eyes showing happiness and gratitude.

"Okay. We have to help you catch up to the others, level wise. Plus, you'll be the first to evolve, since you'll hit your next stage before you catch up." My words only made the little worm Pokemon even more pumped to go. I laughed and returned Tiberius, who was a bit tired out.

We continued on after a short snack and Wally and I got lost in conversation as I battled the Pokemon that crossed our paths. I was glad that I had Willis now as I had forgotten to get more antidotes before I left Petalburg. Willis, though, was immune to poison which was a definite benefit.

Near sundown Willis started glowing after defeating another Slakoth. I grinned like a loon and bounced on my toes as I watched. When the light faded I laughed and picked up Willis in his new form as a Cascoon. "You are so awesome!" I yelled, Willis laughing in his own language as I spun.

Wally set up camp as I let all of my Pokemon out to eat and meet the new team mate. Volk was very cautious around Willis but the rest hit it off well. With three birds I had been expecting a little more conflict but they seemed to adjust well to the situation.

Dinner for me and Wally was almost as simple as the Pokemon's meal. We both broke out some dried fruit and a water bottle, grinning to each other over a small fire. The night was very sedate and before long we dozed off to the sounds of nocturnal Pokemon.

…

_Wally stayed up a little later than Ryan, his brow furrowed. Ralts came over before too long, sensing insecurity in his new trainer. The small Pokemon crawled into the sickly boy's bedroll and snuggled up for the night, acting tired._

_"I know you're not asleep Ralts." Wally murmured softly, careful that only his Pokemon could hear._

_'I know.' Ralts replied mentally, smiling. His trainer was astute and it thrilled him that he was lucky enough to travel with the boy. He secretly hoped he'd take Ryan's nudging and become a trainer. Ralts was also excited because he had learned a lot watching Ryan train and felt like he was an inch away from harnessing some of his own ability._

_Wally stayed quiet for a while, watching Ryan's sleeping bag rise and fall as he breathed, definitely asleep. "He's different than I remember. I know he went away for a little bit but I didn't think he would change..." Wally trailed off, his memory going to him playing with a faceless boy with brown hair and a lighthearted attitude. "What could have made him this serious and determined?"_

_'I don't know.' Ralts replied hesitantly. 'Shall I look for you, Wally?'_

_The boy was taken aback by the offer and shook his head. "No, that would be really rude. What if it's something really personal? I think Dad said Ryan's parents got a divorce. I really don't want to pry. I'm just happy that we still hang out. He was always there for me."_

_'Except now. We're going to Verdanturf and he's becoming a trainer, or Gym Leader, or Pokemon Doctor... Do you think he'll reach his goal?'_

"_If you had asked me two years ago I would have said no, but right now... It's like he's a different person. I think he'll make it."_

…

**Pokemon:**

Torchic – Volk

Poochyena – Tiberius

Wingull – Peck

Tailow – Rocket

Wurmple - Willis


	6. Author Note

NOTICE:

I got a full editor for this story who is going to help me get all over twenty chapters re-written and flowing well. I will be re-posting this story (again) in a week's time!


	7. Chapter 6

Authors Note: _**Must Read**_

This story 'Red Moon' was initially written years ago. I started a rewrite as I wanted to clear some things up, but unfortunately, or fortunately, this lead to an interest in revamping the story line. This means there is a revamp coming of this story posting soon.

I am posting this chapter as a very MESSY and UNEDITED historical log of how far the original story went.

Unfortunately I did lose the next chapter information along the way.

Some reversions: The original story did not contain Willis at all. Instead Tiberius, or Poochy, was lost to poison in the forest. At this point Wally has also left Tiran (Yes, Tiran, not Ryan) for his family in Verdanturf.

This 'chapter' is 77 pages long, so enjoy, and maybe, just maybe, I'll write an extra little (very long) chapter to end this story after the point it's written to if some people read this and review wanting an ending.

**…**

I marched determinately north, heading to the next route. I was determined to keep going through my grief and not let it affect my progress. Around my wrist, tied onto a rawhide chord, was a grayed out pokeball. Tears still fell from my eyes, and I swore I wouldn't lose another. I would make sure that they were strong enough to face any challenge. I would win out against the elite four, be the strongest trainer ever. Never again would I let my pokemon down.

I took a right and examined the route in front of me, letting my thoughts fade. A patch of trees rose in the middle, either side covered in tall grass, then rising into trees again. Wiping my nose, I tried to be happy. If not for me then for my pokemon.

As I got closer I noticed something reflective sitting on the ground. I bent and picked it up, seeing that it was a greatball. I added it to the two pokeballs still sitting in my pack and made a mental note to buy more when I got the chance. A tear leaked out again and a wiped it away quickly.

I approached the grass, took a deep breath, then stepped in, starting my search. Nearby a bug catcher was jumping around, and through the trees I could see a little kid pouncing into the grass. I sighed and looked around. I could see no pokemon around and I sat.

Unfortunately, I sat down on something that didn't appreciate it. I looked back to see where the yelp had come from, and my eyes filled with tears. It was a poochyena. I couldn't stand the thought of catching another so soon. I pulled out Peck's ball and released him.

"Water gun it away." I sobbed, on my knees as the little pup was blasted away. I held the little charm I had on and then stood, Peck landing on my shoulder. We had training to do.

…

Three hours and I was confident that Peck could take the gym. We had worked on dodging and powerful sprays of water. I returned him in a flash of light and approached the gym. I entered the large doors and called into the lit, yet empty, room.

"Coming!" called a muffled voice from the back. I stood in the room and took in the slightly torn up field. An area of it was almost mud, most likely soaked by a challenger earlier today. I walked over to the challenger box and stood in it, scuffing my toe along the thick chalk line.

Across the gym, a door opened, and out stepped who I presumed to be Roxanne. She wore a blue school type uniform and the tall socks with flat shoes. Here hair was orange and frizzed, looking like she had just been in a windy place.

"I'm here to challenge the gym!" I yelled, letting none of my confidence show. My voice was still hoarse though.

She gave me a weird look, which I returned, and then stepped into the other box, holding her arm self consciously. A judge stepped out from a different back room, adjusting some arm bands and picking up the flags.

"This will be a match between Gym Leader Roxanne and Challenger!" he yelled, lifting both flags. "Begin!"

…

…  
Ch.6

"Go, Peck!"

"Go, Geodude!"

Peck rose above the field, keeping out of physical reach of the field. I looked at the geodude, who had the confidence that his trainer lacked.

"Blast it!" I yelled, having gone over usable tactics when we were training. Roxanne called for a rock throw. Geodude pulled part of the floor and chucked it at Peck, who dodged, getting in close then using a full power water gun. The blast sent the rock ball skidding across the floor and into the wall on the far side, large chunks of it falling on top.

Roxanne ran over, digging out the geodude, while I sat still. I was sick to my stomach, hoping that it wasn't dead. Roxanne lat out a sigh and returned the pokemon quickly, resuming her former spot. I looked close and saw that she had gained some confidence. I was unsure why.

"Match to challenger's wingull!" yelled the ref. "Gym Leader, call your next pokemon!"

She did so, releasing another confident looking geodude onto the field.

"Rock throw!" she yelled. I wanted to face-palm, the tactic being very easily avoided by wingull.

"Go low!" I yelled back. Peck rose up above the geodude and dived, facing straight down and spinning as he let out a water gun. The water gun spread out and hit the geodude and the surrounding area with a pressurized blast, knocking it out instantly.

I smirked toward Roxanne only to see that she looked more confident than ever. I let worry over take me as the ref called my win and Roxanne lifted her last pokeball. "C'mon nosepass!" she called. The pokemon blasted out in a beam of red. I watched the expressionless rock swing its arms around and let out a thrum type sound that resembled its name.

"Hit 'em high." I said quietly to wingull, making sure that the opponents would have no idea what was coming. Peck flew high, faking at the same move as before.

"Rock throw straight up!" she yelled, taking the bait. The rock flew straight up, but wingull was no longer there. As soon as she had opened her mouth Peck had dived coming up low. Water blasted out and hit nosepass squarely. I cheered out, thinking it over.

"Rock tomb!" her voice hitting a new high. Rocks sprouted from the ground and crashed into Peck and he hit one in front of him hard. The rocks crumbled quickly, leaving Peck in a pile of dust. He twitched and I felt my face go white. I was scared to death of losing two in the same day.

"NO!" I cried out, tears starting to form at my eyes. Then, Peck rose. He stood shakily and was only visible to me and the referee, the rocks of the attack blocking him from our opponents. I swallowed a sob and smiled. Peck was shaken up, but he was okay!

"Water Gun!" Peck shot up from the rubble, his wings shaking, and blasted a shot at the nosepass. I held my breath after the attack faded away. Then the nosepass fell forward. I was stunned, as was the rest of the gym. I had won at the first gym. Barely, but I had won.

Peck landed on my shoulder and I spun around with him, laughing. All of my grief fell away, and I returned Peck, letting him have a good, long, rest. Roxanne walked up next to me and handed me the badge and prize money. I ran my finger over the badge and held it tight, jumping when someone clapped from the stands.

I looked quickly toward the sound, I hadn't seen anyone when I walked in. He stepped down from near the top and offered his hand to me, which I accepted. Roxanne murmured a good job to me then walked back to whatever she was doing before. The man in front of me cleared his throat and adjusted his suit and tie.

"I would like to offer you this pokenav as a congratulations." he stated, handing me a dark green covered thing that reminded me of a cell phone. "I would also like to offer you employment."

I stared at him when he said this. Wasn't being a trainer employment? I said so to him and got a laugh in reply.

"I mean a side job. We need someone who can fend off some wild geodudes as we mine a rock slide to the north. It is believed that there is moon stones there, and we would like to retrieve them. Your payment will be one of said moonstones. What do you say?"

I agreed with the man, and was told to be there in the morning tomorrow. I politely left the man and walked to the pokemon center. It was night out now, a moon rising high into the sky. Stars shimmered dully, drowned out by the city lights. I walked into the pokemon center and was surprised that there were many trainers sleeping on the couches and some folding cots, some even on the floor.

I walked up to the counter and handed Peck's ball to the chansey. I then turned and found a clear spot on the floor, laying out my sleeping bag and curling up inside. I rubbed my fingers around they greyed out ball hanging from my wrist, and fell asleep. 

… … …

Peck huffed out a sigh as I finally returned him, congratulating on the job well done. It was nearing noon and I heard my stomach grumble. I turned and looked for the man from Devon. I had seen a few stones being pulled out, and I knew that at least one was a moon stone. He stood near a cart that was filled with a sandy looking stone.

I tapped his shoulder, and he turned, scowling at me. I was taken aback at his expression. Every other time I had seen his face, he had been smiling. He shoved a stone and a small chip into my hands and made it clear that he wanted me gone.

I fled the area, tucking the stone into my pack. The small chip that he had also given me had no apparent value, but I tucked it away into a small inner pocket. I would find out about it later. I walked through the city quickly and came to the south exit.

I sat where I had been yesterday and played with the small grayed ball, wishing that Poochy was still alive,and that I'd given him a better name. I grinned at the thought, and decided that I would come up with the perfect name and engrave it on the ball. I finally felt happy again, and I gave a tight squeeze to the ball.

The water was racing today, and I watched it go by before walking across the bridge. I stared daggers at the twins who had taken those precious few minutes and flipped them off. I was past them before they could respond. Stepping off the bridge I walked past the trainers there, who thoroughly ignored me after the battle I had had on the bridge. I suspected that none of them could beat the twins.

The forest rose in front of me, and I entered. The shade was cool again, but now I knew it held some very violent critters. I watched the trees and grass as I walked through, jumping down the ledges instead of going near the grass. If I saw a wurmple right now, I don't know what I would do.

Soon I could see the entrance, the outline lit bright by the early afternoon sun. It felt like the day was flying by, nothing big happening. No bugs attacked me as I left the forest and re-entered the sun. I took a pokeball off of my pack and released Volk. He cheered in the bright sun then turned to me, giving a questioning look.

"Just wanted the company." I chuckled, Volk's expression was one of pure happiness. "We're going to see if Mr. Briney will give us a lift across the ocean to Dewford."

"Tor."

…

"Hello?" I called into the dark shack where Mr. Briney lived. No one seemed to be home. A large table sat in the middle of the house, a few place settings gathering dust. To the left were pots, and I mean_ big_ pots! Each looked as if I could climb in and hide from everything. The back held some shelves with books. Doors covered the right side of the house.

"No one there?" said a voice behind me, causing me to jump. I turned and looked behind me. A kid stood there, looking smug at having scared me. He held out his hand, offering to shake. "Name's Caid."

"I'm Tiran, call me Tir." I replied, shaking his hand.

"Chic!"

"And this is Volk." I stated, properly chastised for forgetting he was out. I looked at Caid and spotted his belt, which held three balls. I didn't usually do this, but I couldn't resist. "You want to have a friendly battle?"

He smirked and nodded, immediately backing up. "Two on two!" he yelled, setting the rules for the match since I had made the challenge. The wind picked up and blew my hair back. A shadow from a cloud skidded by and temporarily through the field into shadow.

"C'mon shroomish!" He tossed a blue and red ball onto the field, the burst of light forming to a shroomish. I smiled and selected Ket's ball.

"Ket!" I threw the ball high, Ket bursting out high above the field. She did a quick loop and called out her name. Caid looked a little paler than he had before, so I gave a thumbs up. He quickly bounced back and called the first attack.

"Leech seed!" Now it was my turn to pale. I couldn't let that attack hit, or it might be enough to give him the game. I had always hated leech seed, and now it was worse, because the opponent could yell a dodge when I pulled the power moves out.

"Dive, then wing attack!" Ket dived under the launched seeds, narrowly dodging the tangle and coming close to the ground before launching forward. Winds picked up behind her, enhancing her already speedy approach. Caid called for a dodge, but it was too late. Ket scored a direct hit. Shroomish rippled back, the skin and fat on it taking the impact before it launched backwards and missed Caid by a foot.

He turned and watched shroomish land. The small mushroom struggled to get up and shook its head at Caid, saying it couldn't battle anymore. He recalled the pokemon and I followed suit, Ket having been paralyzed by the contact.

"C'mon jynx!" The humanoid pokemon formed on the field, putting a hand to its lips and blowing a kiss.

"You're up, Volk." I said, looking down to the small fire type. He nodded and marched onto the field and faced the creepy looking pokemon before it. Another cloud covered the field and a blue glow surrounded the enemy. "Shit!" I shouted, "Blast it with ember, it's attacking!"

The breeze turned chill, then blew into a wind. I hugged my arms and my teeth started chattering as flakes of snow sailed past. Volk sent the embers in front of him, preventing the attack from hitting him. I watched as the blue glow faded and Volk's embers started to fly toward the opponent. As the flame came within touching distance of the jynx, Caid recalled it.

"I forfeit." he said, a smirk on his face. He came over and handed me a small wad of cash. I accepted the payment as he provided tips for me, most being things that I already knew. The last thing he told me was that Mr. Briney would most likely be back in a day, and that the rooms in the shack were for people waiting.

I stared as he walked away, raising his hand into a peace sign. He reminded me so much of the game rivals, that I wondered if he was mine. It was an odd thought, but most likely accurate. The sky was darkening as the sun set, and I walked into the building.

Now I had to wait.

…

It was noon the next day when I heard the motor. My mood picked up and I finished cleaning the table of lunch, the event having been highly appreciated by the pokemon. I chuckled as I thought of my team. Each was strong and capable and all got along together.

I remembered how in the show there had been many infighting among the pokemon, but I guess I was lucky to get the ones I had that were so happy together. I missed Poochy still, but I knew I had to move on. I would never forget him, but I would also not let the memory prevent me from going forward. And, _Arceus_, I wish I had given him a better nick name. Might as well get my sayings to match the new world.

"Mr. Briney!" I called, catching the old sailor off guard. "Would you give me a ride to Dewford then Slateport?" I knew that in the games he was obligated to, his wingull, Peeko, having been saved, but I had done no such thing. In fact, I had not even run into either of the teams that were supposed to be up here. I wondered where they could possibly be.

"Ahoy," he said, fitting perfectly as the old sailor. "I can take ye, but we'll have to leave now, and we can't stay in Dewford for long."

I nodded and climbed into the boat, thankful that I had even a small amount of time in Dewford, not to mention that I would end up in Slateport, where I could presumably hire a boat to take me back if I failed at the gym. Altogether, I thought as the boat started skipping along, I had been lucky here.

…

I walked off of the boat, feeling slightly ill but not overly bad. I had never been on a boat before and was pleasantly surprised that I didn't get too ill from it. Mental pictures of people on shows that got severely seasick flashed through my head, and I felt sorry for them. Waving to Briney, I walked into the town, making a beeline to the pokemon center, where I could heal any left over injuries from my battle with Caid.

A fisherman cut me off, the only reason I could distinguish him as such being the fact that he wore the full red uniform that such wore in the games. He scrutinized me closely, narrowing his eyes as he 'hmmed' and 'hawwed'. I was losing patience with him when he finally backed off and said, "You look like a fellow fisher. I want you to have this."

Shoving an old beat up fishing rod in my hands, he walked quickly away, disappearing around the corner. I looked at the old ratty thing and saw that it was only in appearance that it was bad. The rod itself was made of some sort of old alloy, the little circles for the line all intact. The line was fluorescent green, obviously heavy duty for catching any of the weighty pokemon that fill the seas. The handle was some sort of stiff wood that was pitted like cork. Overall I was impressed.

I walked into the center and healed my pokemon quickly, immediately heading to granite cave. I told myself to not expect much, perhaps a zubat or something, but I couldn't help but think about catching a sableye. I had always imagined what one would be like in real life, and now I had a chance, no matter how slim. I wondered if they were actually light phobic, and if their gem eyes glowed in the dark.

I knew for certain that they ate rocks, the game pokedex listing that, and so far this world was pretty game specific. For example, the pokemon centers did not have rentable rooms, but allowed trainers to sleep in the main lobby of the building. I sighed at the memory, still feeling the ache in my back from two nights before. If I was spending the rest of my life here, I would have to save up for a house. Or maybe I would buy stuff for a secret base and furnish that as my house. It was much less expensive.

I was getting off track again. I slid the rod down, glad that it was expandable, and therefore would fit easily in my almost empty pack. I gazed out at the sea, then forward, seeing the entrance to granite cave. In a sudden change of mind I turned and walked to the thin line of beach past the cliff. I sa on the sand and pulled the rod out. Now was as good as ever.

I looked at the pokeball lure and ran it over with my hands, wondering how it worked, and if you needed bait. It popped open when I pushed against the button, revealing a chamber that I could place a treat in. I did so, having a few leftover pieces from the already opened food packages. Leaning back against the rock I tossed the lure out into the water, watching it sink slightly.

I ran over what was likely in my head. I tried not to get my hopes up, expecting a slimy, poisonous, tentacool, as that was the only thing I ever caught in my games when I fished. I shuddered at the thought of it, then wondered how that would work. Did fish pokemon have gills? If so, they could only fight in water. That would rule out many battles, as not everyone fought near water, or even outside.

I was so preoccupied,_ again_, that I almost missed the tug on the rod. I gasped and pulled hard, causing the pokemon on the end to burst out of the ocean water in a spray of droplets. I smirked as I set the pokemon on the sand next to me. It wasn't a tentacool. No, it was much better.

"Kapr, karp." panted out the beached pokemon as it flopped around ineffectually. I was happy. Sure, they were pains to train up, but the evolved into gyrados, some of the most intimidating pokemon out there. I enlarged a pokeball and dropped it on the fish, a dinging coming from it almost immediately. I pulled out my pokedex and checked the info.

The magikarp was female, level eight, and, now, named Blizzard. It was a spur of the moment decision, but I liked it, and said so to the pokeball in my hand, having figured out that my pokemon could here me if I talked while they were inside.

Turning, I headed back to the cave entrance. Happy at having added one member to my small team, I was looking forward to another. Near the entrance was a large staff length of driftwood. I picked it up and marched confidently into the entrance.

The inside was well lit, and I let out a whistle, appreciating the vast cavern in front of me. A bulky man walked over and said, "If your thinking about moving on, you should take this. It's flash, but you'll need the Dewford badge to use it outside of battle."

He exuded creepiness, and I tried not to back up, accepting the disk that was similar to the few I already had. I quickly walked past him, giving a fake smile as thanks. I still had no idea how to use the things, but I figured that they would eventually get use, either that or fund my impulsive buying habits.

I walked over to where a ladder descended into the darkness. "Volk, come on out." I said, releasing my little fire bird. "Would you mind lighting this?" I asked, indicating the driftwood staff. Ot was still slightly damp, but that should keep it from burning too fast.

"Tow-or..." Volk chirped, a hint of nervousness creeping in as he eyed the wood. I smiled and gave a nod as he powered up an ember. The small flames connected with the top and a flicker caught. The flames stopped from Volk and I blew softly on the flame, coaxing it into a light source.

Grinning down at volk, I threw the staff like a spear down the hole. It thudded against the ground, sticking into the floor and lighting my way down, Volk on my shoulder. At the bottom of the ladder I reclaimed the staff, warm light filling a good amount of the passage. I knew that if you followed the right wall, you would eventually get to a ladder, then another after that, and another, but I cared little for getting up. I had no letter for Steven, as I had not even met the president of Devon, only the bi-polar assistant.

But I had to wonder. If he was here looking for rare stones, did that mean there were some scattered about in the cavern up there? It was to tempting to leave at only a whim.

Volk clung to my shoulder as I walked into the main cave, following the wall to find the way up. I could see shadows at the edge of my light that shifted and reformed, raising my hopes of seeing a sableye first. I could faintly hear chittering, and knew that there would be zubats, but they all sounded distant, most likely warned off by the flame I held.

My breath caught as the flame flickered, and a shadow formed in front of me. I could almost feel the pokeball holding my new sableye. Then it happened. I hit the floor, a rock pressing into my back and knocking the wind out of me as Volk and the makeshift torch fell further to the front. I could barely breath, the rock was that heavy.

I rocked back and forth, getting the weight to shift, then fall off of my back. Coughing, I heaved in air, turning to look for the geodude that had done this. They were the only pokemon I had met so far that used rock throw. Then an exciting thought came to me, what if it was a nosepass?

Sure, I thought the things were creepy. In fact, now that I thought about it, I thought _a lot_ of pokemon were creepy looking. Luckily I hadn't run into any of them as the first pokemon of a route, yet. Nosepass were strong, though, and I would probably have people trying to trade me almost anything I wanted for it. I just wanted something simple, maybe a trapinch or sandshrew, if the person had been to the desert. An aron _or, _I thought giddily, _a sableye!_

Scanning behind me, I didn't see either of what I thought would have been there. Maybe it had run away while I had been pinned? At least I could continue on if it had.

"Chi, Towor!" Volk cried out. I looked over and saw the small bird with a scratch on its forehead and tears in the eyes.

"Oh, Volk." I said trying to lift myself more. I placed a hand on the stone that had been on my back, Volk started crying, and I froze. The surface under my hand was chilled and smooth. I ran a hand over it feeling small indentations. Looking down, I got my first real glimpse of what was there. As I looked, the small steel type yawned and looked around. It was just waking up, and I guessed that it had been hanging on the ceiling before it fell on me.

"Aaarrrr!" it yelled out jumping away and flinging some mud back at me, startled at my appearance from its sleepy wakening.

"Volk, use ember!" I coughed out, the mud leaving a bad taste in my mouth and adding a nice bruise to the one that was bound to have formed on my back. Volk stopped crying immediately and sprung into action. He blasted fire out at the small, yet heavy, enemy. It hit directly and aron collapsed almost immediately. I called off the ember and threw a pokeball, my second to last to be exact. I made a mental note to get more in slateport.

The ball shook for a good two minutes before dinging. I sighed in relief, then reached for the ball. This capture was worth the bruises.

Ch.5

… … …

I laughed as Clad trudged before me, munching the rocks in search of iron deposits. So far the cavern had yielded nothing but a good view. A hole in the roof revealed a view of a forest, the sky well lit behind it. I went over what I had learned about my new little aron from the pokedex. It was a surprising amount.

Firstly, arons built up their outer armor by eating metal ore deep in mountains, but if the supply was short they would leave and would eat bridges and such for their meals. Second, they could crush a truck and then eat it. I hadn't seen any trucks in this world, but obviously they existed. And were edible to my new little teammate. So far he had been great, a little standoffish, but great. I wondered what would really happen when he evolved.

The pokedex stated that he would shed the armor and form a new coat, but I wondered if it would actually happen. I wanted it to happen. Already the entry had given me ideas, but I didn't want to think about them too much if it didn't even happen. Again I stopped my train of thought and concentrated on what was around me.

I took one last look at the hole in the ceiling and then turned, preparing to walk out. Clad had just finished eating what seemed to be a boulder worth of stones and followed happily. Right outside the small side cavern was a drop that lead down to the entrance area. The only thing is that each of the ledges was about ten feet high.

Recalling Clad, I took out a rope, having picked it up in Rustboro with the standard healing items, and tied it to a rock outcropping. First I slipped on the fingerless gloves I had had I my pocket this entire time then leaned back, holding myself horizontal and slid down, pushing gently off the wall. I bumped gently into the ground between the two ledges and stood, carefully making my way to the next, repeating the process again. I left the rope where it was, figuring that somebody would probably use it.

The light outside was bright after the dim cave and I squinted. What had felt like hours in the cave was only one according to my pokenav. I smiled at the small screen, glad I had more time than I thought before Mr. Briney decided we had to leave. I approached the pokecenter and healed my pokemon, being as prepared as I could possibly be for the gym.

Walking in, I saw a large sparring arena. A man stood by it, speaking with the referee. I had a distinct feeling that they were arguing, but I didn't want to interrupt or eavesdrop. Instead I stood back and took in the gym leader. He looked strong and had defined asian features. I briefly wondered if ancestry was different here, being as there was no such place as Asia. Maybe it would be a Kantan or Kantinian descent.

I broke from my thoughts as their conversation finished and the leader noticed I was there. He smirked and walked over.

"Hello, there. I'm Brawley." he said, holding out a hand. His grip was strong and not as crushing as I thought it would be for a fighting type trainer.

"My name is Tiran." I sated, deciding that I would introduce myself as Tiran from now on. "I'm here to challenge the gym."

"Then you came at the perfect time. Another trainer just canceled their match, so we are all set." I thought back to the pokemon center and wondered if the canceled match had been for one of the trainers there.

After discussing the rules with me Brawley backed to his side of the arena and the referee called for the start. We both reached to our pokeballs and made a selection. I lifted Ket's ball and whispered to it. "Start with focus energy." I released Blizzard, holding her under my arm so that she would gain experience from the fights. Then the match began.

A machop burst onto the field and flexed, showing off its strength. I knew that machops were strong, able to lift many times what a human could, yet were the size of five year olds. I threw Ket's ball high, releasing her away from the close ranged fighting moves that cold most likely devastate and pokemon. As soon as the red light faded Ket called out and lit up, small burst of energy hovering around her.

"Go into a wing attack!" I yelled, hoping that it would hit heavy and end this quickly. Ket dived from the height and sped toward the opponent, the wind being sliced by her wings.

"Karate chop!" Brawley yelled from across the field. The machop brought its arm up and waited the few seconds until Ket was close. I bit my lip, hoping her attack would be fast enough that she would take no damage. Ket collided with machop, the attack landing, just as the chop came down and hit Ket's wing.

The blow was just a clip, but it was hard. Ket slammed into the floor and bounced once, machop wasn't let off so easily. It bounced across the floor, limbs flying every witch way until it came to a stop before Brawley. Seconds ticked by as we waited to see if either would rise. I held my breath, then let it out in a sigh as Ket got up, shaking off the blow. Machop started to lift itself and stood, staggering, but up.

I watched closely, seeing that one more hit of any strength would most likely do it in. I was happy when Brawley called it back, telling it that it did a great job. I smiled, this being the first time I had ever actually seen a trainer congratulate a pokemon besides myself. He lifted another ball and smiled before throwing it.

"Come out, meditite!" The small onion headed pokemon burst out onto the field and called its name, walking on its hands to be directly in front of Brawley. It was thin and sickly looking. I wondered if Brawley fed the thing, ribs were showing as I took its looks in.

"Quick now." I said, Ket hearing and going staight into a wing attack. Brawley was caught off guard as the attack was quick, connecting with the meditite. It was nowhere near the blow machop had taken, but it was strong enoough. Meditite stood and Ket rose, spiraling above and looking for openings.

Brawley watched my tactic for a little bit before calling out. "Slam it with confusion!" Meditite immediately lit up and crossed its legs, taking the full lotus position as it concentrated on the mental attck. Ket was surrounded by the blue aura, and I knew that I had to make a split second decision.

"Aim for meditite!"

Ket listened, twisting her wings as the psychic attack jerked her down from the air. Ket's wings twisted, angling the sharp decent using the air currents flowing past. One second Ket was about to hit the floor, but then a sudden turn happened. Ket crashed into meditite, the impact resoundingaround the gym. I gasped and ran onto the field, Brawley following suit.

We quickly untangled the two and I checked Kets vitals. The heart was still going and she was breathing. I sighed in relief, only now realizing I had been holding it. Ket was alive, just knocked out from the impact. I looked up and saw the same relieved expression on his face. The referee called both down and we returned our pokemon.

I released Peck, a makuhita appearing on the opposite side. This should be easy. Peck flew high, staying out of range of the fighting pokemon below, this one being unable to do anything as it wasn't part psychic.

"Drench it!" I called.

…

I stepped onto Mr. Briney's boat, pinning my new badge to the inside of my backpack next to the last one. He started from sleep, almost falling off of his chair. I suppressed a laugh as he looked at me, confused.

"Wasn't expecting you for another hour." he said under his breath, starting up the boat. Peeko swooped down and landed on the railing, holding on as the boat moved away from the dock. I wondered why he hadn't expected me, it was nearing night after all. If he had wanted to return to his home this night, then now was the time to leave Dewford.

I sat on a bench near the back, gripping the rusted bar as we picked up speed. I watched as we passed darker patches of water and as pokemon jumped out in our wake. Amazed at the variety that would leap out of the water, I soon lost track of time, and before I knew it we were in Slateport.

Mr. Briney sped off as soon as I left the boat, not even saying goodbye. The sun still hung above the horizon, showing that sunset was a little ways away yet. I immediately took off my shoes and walked in the warm sand barefoot, enjoying this large umbrella, chair, and people covered beach.

I almost made it three steps before I was challenged by a young boy. I agreed and he sent out a zigzagoon. The universe just liked reminding me that I didn't have one, didn't it? I called out Clad, knowing that he wouldn't be fazed by the physical attacks that zigzagoons could preform. I called for a mud slap, wet sand flying from Clad to strike the enemy on the nose.

Then it happened. The boy called for surf. I panicked, fumbling for Clad's ball and returning him as a large wave washed over where he had been.

"What were you trying to do, kill him!" I screamed at the boy. My anger flared as all he did was nod and give a simple 'of course' in response. I lifted the next ball, this one holding Volk. I knew he was weak to water, too, but I wouldn't give them the chance to respond to this attack.

I released Volk and his expression was as set as mine, as long as you could see it that is. He began to glow, the light leaving a spot on my vision. I smirked, realizing what was happening to Volk from my experience in Petalburg Woods. Volk was now a Combusken.

"Cooom-BUS!" he yelled, startling the opponents. I yelled for a double kick, appreciating that fact that normals were weak to fighting. Volk rushed forward, his long legs moving quickly through the sand, leaving a cloud behind him. I appreciated the sight while it lasted, a raising cloud partly obscuring my combusken, the kid and his zigzagoon standing slightly open mouthed to the left of the cloud. The lighting was perfect, and I watched as Volk pummeled the small raccoon.

I walked away, Volk by my side, and watched as the sun came closer to setting. It was a nice evening, and I let Clad out to walk with us, feeling that he should be allowed to get some fresh air after the scare back there. Of course, walking didn't last long as Volk lifted Clad and ran circles around me, chanting his name.

Both me and Clad broke out laughing and I walked to the edge of Slateport, finally entering the city. I looked at the warehouses to my right, seeing the ships being built in front of them, then turned my attention to something more important. The market.

I walked in, gazing over the wares of the people who were most likely about to close. One stand held beach towels that were embroidered with small arons and some other pokemon, all done in metallic thread. I gazed at the pattern, recognizing lunatones, solrocks, nosepass, and a few other. I loved it, until I saw the price. It was far too expensive.

I turned and walked to the next stand which seemed to sell a variety of trainer goods. I browsed the wares and realized what I wanted immediately. They had _real_ pants. They also sold some similar to what I currently wore, proving that it was a fashion here, but I didn't care. I purchased three pairs of the pants, to go with the three shirts I had. I also grabbed a pair of running shoes, having noticed that my current ones had a few holes.

Stepping from the changing stalls I felt great. I sold the extra pants I had to the stall, which seemed to also sell second hand stuff, and turned to look in a mirror that was set up. I was surprised. In the reflection was the me I had gotten used to, but my hair was different. It was a cross between grey and light brown. Light brown had been my original hair color, before I came here. It seemed my hair was going back to normal.

What was below the hairline made me grimace. A wide bruise covered the left side of my face, going as high as my nose and as far forward as the corner of my mouth. It was a sick looking green with blue mixed in. I knew that my back would look the same. It was my hello from Clad.

I sighed and scraped the hardened mud off of my face, trying futilely to get some out of my t-shirt's collar. I needed a good long shower, a clothes washing, and sleep. I figured that I would find all three at the pokemon center. The sun had just set as I walked my way there.

Ch.6

… … …

I dropped a potion into the basket that Volk was holding and looked at what I was picking up so far. A few canisters of repel sat beneath a matching set of headbands, a pair of goggles rested in the corner, the green tinted lenses smudged slightly from me handling them, and the find of the century, a whole workman's kit.

The kit contained more tools than I could remember, had a ton of materials, and came in a conveniently light package. I wondered again at the apparent ability of people in this world to make things that weighed ten times less than they should, but I guessed that maybe it was the variety of material. I walked to the register, Volk following close behind, and waited as the cashier checked the items through the register.

It came to 5,000 pokedollars, a bit more than I wanted to spend but it was a 50% off sale. I payed happily, then turned and immediately put the black bandanna on Volk. I backed away and looked at my handiwork. The tip trailed over his left shoulder, more toward the front. I could see a small amount of the knot from the front, but it was mostly in back.

I tied the second bandana around my neck, tucking it under my shirt, then placed the goggles over it. The material scratched at my neck and was uncomfortable, but I knew that I would get used to it. Placing the other purchases in my backpack, I walked out of the pokemart. The sun was rising higher in the sky, casting shadows from the warehouses onto the other buildings.

Yawning, I walked to the beach, Volk following closely. I took a seat in one of the beach chairs and watched as people relaxed or battled on the sand. To the left, two small kids were building a sand castle. The walls crumbled as I watched, the boy cheering and the girl throwing a tantrum. To the far right I could see the soda shack. I knew for certain that if I went in, there would be a tournament going on. It seemed that they held them daily, at least according to the ad I had read at the pokemon center.

Between these two was a battle. A kadabra faced a kirlia, the two trading mental blasts then teleporting to a knew spot. The trainers both wore robes that marked them out as psychics. It was either that or they had forgotten to take the bath robes off this morning.

I watched for a bit, quickly tiring of the almost standstill match. It did, however, make me want to have a battle. I stared at the soda shack and made up my mind.

"Headbutt, Clad!" I yelled, watching as he landed the heavy attack on the opponent, ending the battle. "You did it!"

"Karp, magi-karp" Blizzard gulped out from under my arm, sounding along the line of a congratulations. Clad walked up to me, his demeanor happy. He stood on his back legs and leaned against my thigh, his weight causing me to fall on my butt, laughing. I rubbed across his head, getting what sounded like a purr.

The owner walked up to me, congratulating me on a job well done, and handed me a six pack of sodas. I doled them out to my pokemon, sitting in the corner with them as the shop went into normal mode, the competition over. I wiped a few drops of sweat from the side of my face and winced, the bruise causing me some pain.

After an hour I stood, recalling all of my pokemon and heading to the north of Slateport. I passed the entrance to cycling road and a small patch of grass. I watched the grass intently, seeing if anything would jump out. I knew there were some electric types around here, a well as poochyenas. If I saw another, I thought that I would catch it this time. My team was almost full, only needing one more member.

Seeing no movement, I walked on. Ahead I could see two people standing near an oddly stunted tree. As I approached, I caught part of their conversation.

"We haven't seen anyone for near an hour!" the man whined, "Don't you think we should go?"

"You wimp." the woman stated, placing a hand on her hip. "You promised me that you would be my tag partner _all_ day. Plus, we have the best team pokemon ever."

That decided it for me. I liked the double battles here, and it sounded as if they were looking for a challenge. I walked up to them, waiting for them to notice. The woman did first.

"Ha! Somebody has come, now you can't whine about no one going by!"

I smiled at the comment as she challenged me. Quickly accepting, I pulled out Volk's and Clad's balls, backing up to make a good sized are to fight in. They called out their pokemon first, both at the same time. Before me were two small pokemon that sort of reminded me of pikachus. One was red, the other blue, and each had a sign on its cheek and tail. The red had a small plus, the blue had a small minus. Plusle and minun.

I could tell that they were hyped up from being able to fight together. Their cheer lifted me a bit, and I hoped I would be able to find one of the two as my first pokemon of the route. I threw the two balls I held out and watched as my team formed from the light. Volk crouched into a fighting stance, the bandanna fluttering in the breeze. Clad crouched, prepared to run forward at my command.

"Helping hand!" both of my opponents called, looking at each other startled as they realized their mistake.

"Volk, double kick minun. Clad, metal claw plusle." Both ran forward, acting on my coordinated assault plan. Volk arrived first, lashing out with his powerful legs, the minun taking a heavy hit. Clad was close behind. He reared up and raked two small claws across the plusle, causing it to call out in pain.

"Quick attack the aron!" they both cried, the synch getting weird after the first time. Both of the small rodents got up and dashed at Clad, intent on doing the minimal damage that would be caused. Just to make sure that they would cause even less I called for iron defense.

Clad crouched lower, his armor shining brightly as it hardened further. I ordered another double kick from Volk and watched as he smacked the minun forward, who hit plusle, then both smashed into the solid Clad.

They were down for the count. I called back my pokemon and said good game to the two, who had returned to arguing as soon as they had forked over my winnings. The sun beat down on me as I walked on the exposed strip of land, its heat slowly fading with the day. Ahead was a small house that signified a fork in the road. I walked right, heading into the grass.

For a while I couldnt see anything, the grass covering my eyes, but it shortened. Ahead I saw Brendan. He was walking in my direction and I huddled in the grass, holding my breath as he passed. His crunching footsteps passed right before me as I waited, and I let out a sigh as he left. I truly didn't want to talk to him, just a vibe, but I didn't want to.

Standing, I took a deep breath, then erupted in a coughing fit. The air smelt horrible, and was slightly acrid. I pulled the knew bandanna out and covered my mouth, glad I had purchased it. The thick cloth filtered the air well.

Looking around, I saw the source. It was small, green, and looked like a lump of snot with a feather sticking out. An image came to my mind, of a wingull having a sneezing fit until it was a round slime ball with only a feather remaining uncoated. Giggling involuntarily, I drew the things attention.

It turned and spotted me, yawning its name out and blowing a small purple cloud at me. Now I was _really_ happy I had picked up the bandanna. I lifted Clad's ball and called him out, ordering an immediate headbutt on the gulpin before us. That was all it took, and the gulpin was on the verge of collapse. I threw an empty ball at it and waited for the tell tale ding, knowing that this one was in the bag.

"Hello, Gut." I said, picking up the ball. Then something unexpected happened. The ball burst open and Gut formed on the ground, his squat form letting out a tired sounding chuckle. I just stared at the ball hunger and watched as it latched onto my hand, chewing with its lips like I was food. Oh, great, a pokemon that thought I was an all you can eat buffet.

…

By the time I was almost back to the pokemon center I was ready to murder Gut. He had been chewing on my hand the entire time, refusing to let go and breathing out purple clouds at every single person we had walked passed.

I walked through the sliding doors of the center and had my problems doubled. A small girl with a tired looking electrike immediately wrapped herself around my other hand, babbling about how_ cool_ Gut was, and how blah, blah, blah. I was taking in a breath that I was going to let out a scream when she made an offer.

"Will you trade that gulpin for my electrike?" I let the breath out in a gust, taken off guard by the offer.

"Yes!" I said, maybe a little too eager. "That would be wonderful!"

She squealed and jumped around like a maniac, all the while doing something with her pokedex, then mine, which I noticed she had taken from my pocket. Before I knew it she had taken Gut and his ball, replacing them with a shined red and white ball. She then ran out of the center, leaving a stunned me and electrike behind.

After a minute, I finally looked at my new team member. I had no information about it whatsoever, so I turned to the trusty pokedex. He was male, knew tackle, leer, and howl. And his name was... Flower... Wow, I didn't even know if I should laugh or cry. I had traded for a male electrike named Flower. I opened the editor and turned to him.

"Do you like your name?" He gave me a look that said 'your not serious'. I nodded and did a quick run over with my mind. "How about Thorn, similar enough not to insult your last trainer, yet has Thor, the greek god of thunder, or something, in it?" Thorn nodded, accepting my name and logic behind it.

I turned and spotted a couch, immediately dropping on it before it was taken and curled up, ready for a long night sleep after my day. Thorn jumped up and settled against my chest, letting out a happy sound as we both faded to sleep.

…

Mauville rose before me. I walked on,the sun coming close to noon as I entered the city. I was amazed that it had taken so little time, yet had allowed me to train Clad up so much. He was now the strongest member of my group, and I was proud of it. He was able to down most of the wild pokemon in one hit, and knew some good moves now.

Walking through the city, I was amazed at how much bigger than the game it was. There were more houses to the east and south, providing a nice suburban type feel. The center and mart were kept well, their sides clean and shining in the light. I breathed the air, and relished its sweeter smell than Slateport, though it still held the salt scent of the sea.

I approched the gym, but was distracted by the building across the way. I knew I should go in and get my challenge done with, but the other building caught my attention. It was a purpleish color and had lights adorning the windows and doors. It was obviously the game corner.

I entered and looked at the wide array of games, my face lighting up. Instead of being like the game, there were many games. I saw a claw game that gave coin vouchers of various amounts. There were coin drops and card tables. I even saw a gold digger game. Now that was nostalgic to me.

The rest of the area held the standard pokemon gambling. Slots took up almost half of the building, many people playing them with their coin cases next to them. I was surprised at the 'coins' as they reminded me of thin, miniature, plastic poker chip. It did explain how your character could carry millions with you, though.

I walked over to one of the slots and rested my hand on the lever, then pulled. I didn't expect anything to happen, so I jumped when the machine started. I watched as the first wheel stopped. A seven, a seven, and a 'replay'.

The second stopped on a pikachu, a seven, and a marill.

The third stopped on a pikachu, a seven, and a seven.

Sirens rang out in the joyous tone of winning as coins poured from the slot. Hundreds came racing down and I tried to stop it as the spilled on the floor. I was panicked as I opened my backpack and held it under the slot, picking up coins from the floor and putting them inside.

People were watching from all over the room, gasping in awe at the amount I was winning, and all I wanted to do was fall through the floor. The flow finally stopped and a few people clapped before going back to their own games. One, however, decided to approach me.

"Hello," he said, hands tucked tightly behind his back. "I couldn't help but notice that you didn't put those coins in a case, don't you have one?"

"No, I just pulled the lever and won, never been here before."

He just hummed nasally in response, then pulled out a case from his pocket. "Here, I have an extra." He gave me the case and then walked away. What was it with people and walking away here, I thought, remembering the fisherman in Deword and the girl in Slateport. I didn't know whether to count the man from Devon, because that had been more of a payment, and it had been me that walked away.

I gave up, walking out after I had crammed all of the coins in the case, coming up with a total of 1,600. I walked over to the gym and tried the door, but found it locked. Confused, I moved past, guessing that the gym was closed for the day. I would come back and try again tomorrow.

I sat near a small pond on the route to Verdanturf as the sun set. I trailed a hand in the water and wondered what kind of pokemon were beneath the surface. Farther out in the pond a magikarp splashed up, as if in answer to my question. Laying on my back, the stars began to come out.

They shone brightly in the country sky, although this entire world was like the country compared to the real world. All of the cities were smaller than towns, all the towns were hamlets. I sighed and looked at the stars more. None of them were the same as before. I could see no constellations or important stars. The moon looked the same, but that was it, the rest of the sky was a mystery.

Then I thought, what if this is the real world? So far I had been referring to the other world as the real one, but what if this was real, and the other was fake. It would help if I could remember more, but I couldn't. I had been here for seven days, and I could barely remember what had come before. Only my strong memories remained, but it did not disturb me, it felt right.

Now that I thought about it, I couldn't even remember my real name.

… … …

Ch.7

… … …

The sun was high in the sky when I woke up. Looking around, I noticed that I was at the small pond that I had been at last night. I kicked myself mentally, realizing that I had slept in the muddy sand and had done so until noon.

The trees to either side of the path swayed in a breeze, most of the trainers not being in this area today. Across the route, at the other pond, I spotted the only other living thing in sight. A girl wearing a red and black set of clothing and a bandanna and glasses was there. A combusken stood next to her, silent, as she pushed her feet into the sand.

I went to approach, but as I got closer, I got the feeling that she didn't want company. Then I recognized her. She was May, the games heroine. She fit the description, but I didn't know if it was exact, never having played as the female character in the games. It seems that she had chosen the fire type, which matched with the mudkip I had seen with Brendan.

Sighing, I backed slowly away. I had had enough of the game characters in my explorations already. With my luck she would probably force me into a battle, then give me something I didn't want and walk away before I could get a conversation.

It was just now that I noticed, but I wanted to have a real conversation. Most people in this world were thick, and shared no actual information that was of any social use, just real world use. I had been a loner in the other world, not caring to have many friends or anything, but now I craved human contact. I would love to just discuss anything with anyone!

The town was the same as the day before, but this time the gym was open. Inside was the gym leader. He sat on some bleachers to the left that, from the looks of them, didn't get used much. He rose when he saw me, walked over and introduced himself as Morgan, the gym leader of Mauville city.

This gave me pause. Didn't the leader's name start with a 'W' in the game? It was close, but I couldn't exactly remember it. But 'M' and 'W' looked very similar, perhaps I had it confused. I returned the greeting, introducing myself and telling him that I was here for a challenge.

He then stepped back, into the light. He had pale white skin and white hair. His eyes were a brilliant purple and I immediately knew he was an albino. I had been on a kick once, when I was younger, and had been very interested in wolves, especially albino ones. That interest had lead to an interest in albino animals, and, then, to humans.

I was amazed to meet one as a gym leader, but held my tongue, unsure if it was even a condition in this world. Maybe, here, it was a regular thing? My head started to ache as I thought of all the recent comparisons I had been making, then I stopped myself. _I will not think of it ANYMORE!_ I yelled at myself. _I will live in the here and now and not worry._

During my mental rant, Morgan had moved to the other side of the field. "This will be a three on three match! There will be no referee, no substitutions for the gym leader, and no time limit! Begin!"

He let his pokeball fly, a voltorb released in the red flash. I threw Clad's ball on the field and had him go into a rollout, hoping to get this pokemon down and out with one or two hits, so that he would have the more powerful hits on the latter two pokemon.

Morgan called for a shockwave, and the voltorb complied, blasting the electric attack into Clad. Clad kept moving through the blast, losing no momentum. The electricity was surrounding my steel armored pokemon, and I hoped that he could hold up until he finished his own attack.

Sparks jumped from the metal and dissipated as Clad slammed into the voltorb. It remained up, but looked seriously damaged as it sat there. I pulled out my pokedex and saw that Clad was still healthy, the electric attack only taking a quarter of his health. The same could not be said for voltorb.

Clad raced back toward the giant pokeball and was kicking up small pieces of the arena. Then, Morgan did something I did not expect.

"Self destruct!" he called. I could feel my jaw drop at this. In the game, self destruct knocked out the user. Was it the same here, or was it a suicidal attack. Clad was three feet away, and fast approaching, when the blast went off. He flew in the air, but remained curled, the attack continuing. Voltorb lay in a small crater, eyes closed and breathing hard, making electrical sounds.

I watched as Morgan called back the pokemon and sighed in relief as I saw the ball remained colored. He smirked at me, obviously enjoying the match. I had to admit, I was too.

He threw forward a ball and an electrike took the field. I grinned, knowing this pokemon well as I had one. Thorn had been on the team the shortest, and was weak when it came to physical, but he could blast an opponent to smoldering with his spark attack.

Clad immediately went on the offensive, having been rolling around as he waited for a new opponent. I checked my pokedex again and smiled as I saw he self destruct had done almost no damage. The elektrike preformed an uncalled shockwave, catching Clad off guard right as he slammed into the small dog.

A cloud of dust rose around the two and I held my breath as I waited to see what would happen. The Clad burst out of the cloud, still rolling, but barely. The electrike lay on the ground behind it, not rising. Morgan recalled his pokemon and released the next, a large magneton.

I quick glanced at my pokedex and recalled Clad in a rush, his health was almost gone. I threw a ball off of my belt, knowing that I had to tend to Clads wounds and have my next pokemon take a hit. I sprayed the potion as Peck called out his name.

I realized my stupidity as the electricity crackled. I should have chosen better. Peck was the second strongest on my team, but he was also four times weak to electricity. In fact, half of my team was weak to electricity. I gasped as the bolt filled the arena with a blinding light. My stomach dropped as I saw Peck's figure outlined. It was a critical hit.

I stood shakily as the electricity faded, then ran onto the field. Clad followed close behind, his pace increased by the worry. There was no hope when I saw the body.

And that's what it was.

Charred feathers stuck out from the corpse, smoking slightly in the aftermath. My eyes pricked with tears, but I did not let them fall. I had lost the second pokemon I had caught, along with the first. My mind froze at this and refused to think of him as dead. Returning Peck's body, I clenched it tightly, not looking, and walked calmly to my side of the field.

I lifted Volk's ball and looked at it hard, he would do the best against the magneton. I released him and ordered a bulk up, my voice calm as I fell to pieces inside. I could not speak any more orders, but Volk went into battle mode, handling it himself.

He raced forward and launched an ember directly onto the metal monstrosity. The air around the two shimmered and bent. The magneton was using supersonic. A small patch of melted looking metal formed on its side, but I could not be happy. Volk launched two more embers before it fell.

The battle was over.

It was anticlimactic, but I cared not. Morgan walked over to me and handed me my winnings. I think he said some sort of congratulations, but I didn't hear. A fake smile came to my face and I thanked him, not wanting one of the insensitive people of this world to see how much I was hurting. I left the gym and stopped, standing in the bright sunlight.

I wanted to return to the small pond, but the girl was there, and she might come over and talk to me. I didn't want to talk to anyone, human or otherwise, so I set out north. I had to go this way eventually, and decided that now was as good a time as ever. First, though, I had to learn how t use TMs.

…

I turned the computer off, Blizzard having gotten the hang of rock smash. I smiled at the huge gyrados through the window then walked out to join her. Sitting down, I listened to the almost nature sounds of this city. I again thought how it was weird that so few people lived in the town and such, but I guess that that is the price of training.

Opening my hand, I gazed at the small grayed out ball. That made two. I opened my pack and bit a small amount of line from my fishing rod, using it to tie the ball to the bracelet I wore. The two balls clinked together, but didn't hinder me at all, only being the size of large marbles.

Glancing back in the pokemon center, I felt stupid. I had asked the nurse how to use TMs and received a 'Are you really that stupid?' stare. She had then explained how the disks were used, her voice slow, as if I was cracked in the head. It seemed that they were CDs, made for one use, that played on any computer. I now regretted not taking the laptop that had been in my room in Petalburg, it would have made it much easier for Blizzard to see.

Again thinking of Peck, I resolved to be happy. Or at least happier. I returned blizzard and let out Ket. I hadn't used her in a while, and decided that now was a good time to train. Thinking about it, Thorn needed training too, so I released him also. Seeing the problem with this match up in a type advantage way, I decided not to have them train against each other. Instead I would try and find some trainers. To the north!

I sighed as the old lady finally gave up. The winstrate family had been hard to beat, but I had gotten some valueble experience from them. The other trainers in the area had put up little resistance to my team, and I walked on, past where the smashable rocks had been in the game, and onto the main part of Route 111. I then realized that the only wild pokemon in this area were in the desert and shook my head in wonderment.

As I walked, two people with a camera stopped me and asked for a battle. I agreed, wanting to lose myself in the fight to stop thinking of peck, and sent out Thorn and Ket. The two sent out a magnemite and a whismur, which I found almost laughable.

I let my pokemon choose their own attacks. Ket raced forward, pecking the magnemite as it cried out in a high metallic screech. The screeching caused the whismur to cry out, and it started to cry and shout out, using uproar. I covered my ears as Thorn used spark on the little thing. Then it was over.

I stared in disbelief at the field. Were my pokemon truly that strong? I almost thought it was a trick, but both of the TV crew returned their pokemon, handing me a small bit of money, then asking for my thoughts.

"Seriously?" I said, incredulous. "That was the easiest battle I have ever had." The two looked hurt at my comment, so I hurriedly assured them that I had been training a lot lately. They looked a little better after I said this, then a light started to my right.

Turning, I immediately saw what was happening. The camera trained in and the reporter started a running commentary on Ket's evolution. I beamed as the light faded, a swellow standing where my taillow had been a second before. I crouched down and hugged her, congratulating on the evolution. The TV crew, weirdly enough, was taping the whole thing, so I returned my pokemon and walked away. I think they even taped me walking away.

Ahead the path split, going left to Route 102 and right to the desert. I decided on left, wanting my trip to the desert to be at a better, happier time. I hesitated at the edge of the grass, wondering if I should wait for later on the route to catch a pokemon. Standing, incisive, I walked past, knowing that if I changed me mind it would be a short walk back.

I fought past four trainers and made my way to the entrance of the cable car. Two hooded men guarded the way, and I felt my stomach sink as I recognized them. They were team magma. They were here, in this world, and I had finally run into them.

Getting close, I eavesdropped on their conversation.

"Hey, man, is our leader really going to awaken that thing?" the first said.

The other turned to him, saying, "Sounds like it, yeah. But I heard we need a meteorite to do it."

"Oh, I get it now. That's why the rest of the crew went out to Fallarbor."

"You got it. And until they come back, we're not allowed to let anyone pass, right."

My mouth was dry, and I licked my lips. I cursed my memory, as I was unable to remember the plot of the game, and therefore what the teams were doing. All I knew for certain was that they were referring to Groudon when they had said 'that thing' and that they would not let anyone up until they were also away from Fallarbor Town.

By now the sun was setting. I snuck away from the two and found an indent in the wall. Curling up, I let my mind run as I tried to sleep. I dreaded what was about to happen. There was a fight to come.

…

Morning broke over the base of the volcano, and I stirred, stiff from sleeping in my hiding spot. I wished that I had the move to make secret bases now. It would be nice to stop every night and set up one, only to tear it down in the morning.

I climbed down from my spot and looked at the sun, cursing it for bringing the morning. Going slowly, I walked to the path and gazed down at the two magma grunts, still guarding the cable car, then turned and walked away. There's more than one way up a mountain.

"Oof!" I yelled as I, yet again, fell on my back while trying to mountain climb. I didn't remember it being this hard. Every time I could barely make it ten feet up before I fell, no handholds or footholds left. I gave up, flipping the wall behind me the bird.

I conceded that even if I had gotten higher, I would have most likely hurt myself from falling from greater heights, then I walked to the entrance to the Fiery Path. I raised my eyebrows as I entered. It was hot and steamy, but I had endured worse with the dishwater at my old job.

Stopping I thought, _Old job?_, but nothing else came to me. I must have either washed dishes as the job, or as a part. I wondered which, then shook my head, letting it fall to the back of my mind as I walked forward. It seemed that the path was straight, although I did notice a wall that seemed like a strong push would open. Right as I was about to step out, I got hit in the back.

I yowled out, even though it was more of a tap, and cursed the giant bruise that resided there. I sighed and turned, expecting to be challenged to a battle, but was surprised to see a koffing. It's face was in a wicked smile, and I shuddered, remembering the gulpin I had caught, then traded. But, no matter what, I had to at least _try_ to catch it, as it was the first pokemon I saw. Even if I really didn't want it.

"Go, Blizzard!" I yelled, throwing her ball forward. She emerged and almost filled the cavern, but her glare made the koffing lose its smirk. "Rock smash!"

Blizzard did so, attacking the floating gaseous orb. Even if the attack smashed rocks, it did nothing to the thing in front of me. "Tackle it!"

The attack landed, causing more damage than the last. In response the koffing spit out a thick smog. I immediately pulled the bandanna over my mouth and hoped that Blizzard wouldn't be poisoned. I had bad experiences with that. I repeated the call, having Blizz slam the sense out of the thing before me, but the third was too much, and the thing ran away before I could throw a ball. I sighed and returned Blizz, knowing that there was no use in chasing after the pokemon.

Outside, I sat in the grass, checking my pokenav. I was surprised to see that this was still route 112, and that it looked far more promising then the former half of the route had. Letting myself cool down, I gazed intently at the grass, wondering what was hidden within.

I stepped in, and then tripped. A numel turned its head and looked at me blankly. I just sighed and walked away. Maybe the last two pokemon encounters had been the universe telling me that my team was good the way it was? I sighed again, noticing that I did so a lot, and checked my pokenav. I was shocked to see I was back on Route 111.

Were the desert and Route 111 the same, or was I just off my rocker? I walked back to Route 112 and released all of my pokemon.

"Okay, guys." I said, "We are going to train here for a little bit. If you get worn down come back to me, I'll heal you up. No accidents!"

Sitting back I watched as my pokemon lunged gleefully into the grass. I was confident now that I had over trained on my way to Mauville, most of the trainers up here were far weaker than me. I didn't want to get a big head so I looked to my wrist. Poochy and Peck hung there, I had to remember that, I didn't want to lose another.

A bright flash to the right alerted me, and I ran. I barged through the grass as Clad stopped growing. He was no longer my little aron, but a powerful looking lairon. I fell to the ground and pulled him close. He mad a sound that was like a laugh and pushed into me lightly, a wide grin on his face.

His old armor sat on the ground, and I stuffed the heavy material in my pack, knowing exactly what to do with it. It weighed about 30 lbs., so I assumed that most of his weight was his actual body.

I finally stood up and stared, beaming, at my new,more powerful, tank. There was no way anyone would take him down. _Hell_, I'd take the hit before I let Clad take it.

This day was finally starting to look up. Unfortunately, it was also nearly over. An hour later I called my pokemon to me, they looked stronger, and I was glad that that was so. I returned all but Clad, leaving him on watch as I fell asleep.

… … …

Ch.8

… … …

I coughed again as the ashes fell around me. They seemed to get in and contaminate my throat, even through the bandanna wrapped tightly over my mouth and nose. My eyes were shielded by the green tinted goggles I had picked up in Slateport. So far I had seen no pokemon, but I stopped complaining about that when I had come upon a small workshop.

The owner had given me a soot sack and told me that he could make glass items for me if I brought in enough. This had set off tiny bells in my head as a good thing. My memories seemed blurred, though, and I couldn't think as to why it was such a good thing.

Tanking another clump of ash and stuffing it in the bag, I was impressed that it held so much. Ahead I could see the faint out lines of Fallarbor through the ash, and I made my way toward it steadily. Even though I had been distracted by the soot, I knew that I still needed to get to Meteor Falls, it was important.

As I walked, I caught a glint of light to my right. Pulling up the goggles I looked around and spotted it again. Not ten feet away was a sleeping, half buried, Skarmory. I could still see the bright red feathers underneath the coating of ash, and I approached slowly, lifting the ball that held Volk.

I then spotted a glint of yellow, and froze as I realized it wasn't sleeping, but watching me! "Go, Volk," I yelled, the great metal bird before me shaking off the thick layer of ash. "Ember!"

Volk came out in a fighting stance, immediately releasing the super effective move on his opponent. I watched, slightly shaken, as the Skarmory called out its name and started to rise. Thinking quickly, I pulled out a pokeball, and threw. The bird burst out at the first shake, and I threw another ball, panicked. This one lasted almost ten seconds before it, too, split in half.

By now my panic was turning to anger. I didn't want to kill the thing, but I feared another attack would take it down, so I threw another ball.

After a minute, I didn't know what was more surprising. The fact that I had caught a rare pokemon for the first time, or the fact that I had caught it so easily. I named him Edge, and walked into town, shaking my head.

Inside town I entered the pokemon center and waited for the PC to come open. I wanted to deposit all the heavy items that filled the pack to make it lighter. I gazed at the inside of the center and noted that it looked like everything else in the town, soot stained. Approaching a mirror, I chuckled. Even I look soot stained!

I dusted my hair off and noted that it had remained the almost-white-yet-tinted-brown I had seen in Slateport. I looked slightly more tanned than I had then, and I was pleased to note that the bruise had faded to an ugly yellow. I guessed it would be gone within the week.

Turning, I sighed. The woman was still standing at the computer. I walked forward and tapped her on the shoulder. "Excuse me, but could I use the computer for just a minute? You can get back on after that, but I would like to store some heavy stuff."

"Oh, my," she said, blushing, "I only meant to be on it for a minute. I am sorry! My name is Lanette, stop by my house on Route 114, and I'll make it up to you!" Lanette rushed out of the center, not waiting for a reply, and I shook my head. _People here._

I quickly deposited all of the items that were taking up space in my pack and walked back outside. I gasped as I walked out. Somehow night had come quickly! I was amazed that the day was already gone, as I had assumed it was noon.

Walking toward the outskirts, I knew one place I wanted to visit.

…

I knocked on the door and was promptly greeted by a kid that was younger than I was. "Hello," I said, "Is the Fossil Maniac in?"

"The Fossil Maniac is my brother!" he stated proudly, letting me in. "He's in his tunnel right now, but I'll get him!"

As the kid ran back into the hole in the wall, I seated myself at the table. Time passed slowly as I scanned the room. I could see a few fossils around, and I was glad to have come here, fossil pokemon being some of my favorites. I liked Aerodactyl and Kabutops the most, but I knew that I would find neither in Hoenn... pity...

The kid came back and behind him was an older teen that was covered head to foot in dust. I rose to my feet and introduced myself, shaking his hand and walking with him to a set of couches that were near the stairs. The house was much different than it had been in the game.

"So, what brings you here?" he asked as he wiped his glasses on a clean cloth.

"I wanted to learn about pokemon fossils, and you _are _the fossil maniac." I stated, spreading my arms in a pleading gesture.

His eyes lit up as he heard this and I grinned, knowing I would get the information I wanted. "Where to start," he mumbled before starting in on his explanation. "Fossils are the deceased remains of ancient pokemon that solidified in layers of sediments. Many believe that the only reason that there is such a small variety of fossilized pokemon is that because only part rock types turned into fossils!

"Fossils differ depending on which region you find them in. For example, dome and helix fossils are found in the regions of Jhoto and Kanto. In addition, pieces of amber that contain small pieces of skin or bone from Aerodactyls are also found there.

"Here in Hoenn we are able to find both root and claw fossils. Most discoveries of said fossils have been in the desert, and as such, it is believed that both Anorith and Lileep dwelled in the arid sands. Recent technological advances have been made at the Devon Corporation that allow these fossils to be restored, a small off branch in Kanto providing the same service." I nodded eagerly at this, surprised at the amount of information I was receiving.

"And then there is Sinnoh! A vast underground stretches beneath the entire region, and every inch is crammed with fossils! Fossils from almost every other region are found there. The two native ones, though, are the remains of Cranidos and Shieldon. There are also two fossils that I have heard rumors about." He leaned in and whispered, "Have you heard of Ishuu?"

I wracked my brain. Ishuu did, indeed, sound familiar, but I was having trouble placing it. Then it clicked. Black and White, the games that were going to come out next year, were based in the Ishuu region. I had not followed the news, but I assumed that there would be more fossils. I looked at the Fossil Maniac and nodded.

He leaned back and smiled, obviously happy at being able to show how much he knew, and I was happy to hear how much he knew.

"Look," he said, "I liked talking with you, so how about I let you have a fossil? You don't have to choose which now. Stay the night and you can choose in the morning." I nodded, appreciating the offer, and was led upstairs to a guest room.

The morning sun shone on me as the door closed behind. In my hands I held a piece of amber, and inside was, the Fossil Maniac assured, a talon from an Aerodactyl. The nice thick yellow material was lighter than I thought it would be, but I was glad that I had picked it. Slipping the old tree sap into my bag, I set out.

Crossing the bridge on Route 114, I could see what could only be Lanette's house. I looked at the small shack-like building and decided against visiting. I was truly tired of the one-way conversations that I seemed to have with everyone. I really wished I could talk to someone who could carry a conversation.

As I approached the grass I could here a faint bird song, and assumed that it was Swablu. The brisk morning air swirled around me as I watched it sway through the tall green blades. Not feeling up to a confrontation, I took out a can of Repel and sprayed it on. I almost gagged on the smell, comparing it to mosquito spray. I even got a little in my mouth and spat for a minute to get the taste out.

I moved past the grassed area quickly and walked up the convenient stairs that were carved into the side of the rock. They seemed to be smooth, worn by many hikers going into the mountain. It made me wonder where they had come from in the first place. Who would possibly carve stairs into the side of a mountain for a living?

Shaking my head, I moved on. I wandered for almost an hour, getting lost in the very similar looking area, before finally seeing some change. Unfortunately, it was only a rock. I sighed and sat down, wondering if I was really that hopeless at navigating in this monotonous terrain.

The boulder beneath me started to move, and I jumped up, staring at the thing. It sprouted arms then turned to face me. I sighed in relief as I realized it was only a Geodude. It took on, what seemed to be, sniff, then ran off, far faster than I believed they could move.

I sniffed the air and cursed. I was still covered in repel, and I had just lost the chance at the first pokemon I had seen in the area. The only good thing that came from the situation was that I spotted the path that lead to Meteor Falls.

"Thank Arceus!"

…

Blue light reflected from dripping cave rock. Stalagmites and stalactites competed for spce, some even merging onto tall, indigo hued, pillars. I grinned at the diffused lighting that filled the cavern, and walked in, marveling at the formations. It seemed as if the cave itself was alive.

I walked forward and followed a trodden path, the area smooth and cleared of the small rock debris. Ahead I could hear voices. I rushed on, keeping low as to not be noticed. Peeking over an edge I spotted two men in red, hooded cloaks. Team Mama was here. If anything, I was surprised. I hadn't seen head nor tail of either team until the two that were guarding the cable car, and I had been fully expecting the cave to be deserted.

"Heh, heh, heh." the first cackled. "With this meteorite, that thing in Mt. Chimney will..." he trailed off, spotting me. "Heh? I don't know who you are, but if you get in the way of Team Magma, don't expect any mercy!"

"Hold it right there, Team Magma!" a voice shouted, echoing from the cave walls. "You're badly mistaken if you think you can have your way with the world!" The voice came from the leader of a group of three people. They were all dressed as pirates, and the man in the lead had a more important looking outfit.

"Hehehe!" I was really getting tired of the one's cackling. "Even Team Aqua joins us! But it's too much trouble to deal with you all... Heh, it doesn't matter! We've got the meteorite, so off to Mt. Chimney we go! Hehehe, be seeing you, you Team Aqua dingbats!"

Him and his partner rushed up the steps and shoved me as they went past. I waved my arms, trying to regain my balance, but fell back, hitting my head painfully against the cave rock. Stars danced before my eyes, my vision blurred, and I moaned in pain.

As my eyes cleared I saw a hand in front of my face. Looking up I realized it was Archie, the leader of Team Aqua. Accepting the hand, I was pulled to my feet easily. He then shook my hand before releasing it.

"My name is Archie." He sated, his voice a nice contrast to the otherwise quiet cave. "Anyone who is not friends with Team Magma is a friend of mine."

I was surprised at the way this was turning out. In the game all Archie did was say a line and walk away, but here I was having an actual conversation with the guy. I was having a conversation! There were no behind the back deals going on. He didn't look as if he was about to thrust something in my arms then walk away, and he also wasn't challenging me to a battle.

"I'm Tiran, call me Tir. You said that they were Team Magma, right?" he nodded, "Well, they were headed to Mt. Chimney. When I was near the cable car, I overheard two more talking about how they would raise something and fix the continents..."

"Thank you for the information," he said. Turning, he called orders to his two men, who promptly walked away. To my surprise, Archie didn't follow. Instead we sat in the cave and talked.

By the time I walked out of the Falls, it was already night. I looked around and was surprised that it had gotten so late. I walked in the bright moon-light, wondering if there were such things as werewolves in this world. Fallarbor town came up quickly, as I found it much easier to get back than I had to get to the Falls.

The nurse was just about to lock up as I walked in, and I shot her a smile, getting a quirked eyebrow in return. The lobby was mostly empty, one couch left open, only a few coordinators in the area. They were shouting back in forth to each other, discussing the contests. After listening for about a minute I found it ridiculously boring.

Contests here seemed to be very similar to the game, but with a battle tacked on to the end. That ended my interest in the subject, as I would have only been interested if they were like the show. Placing earplugs in, I fell asleep thinking of how much better that would be.

Morning came frightfully quick and I moved to the cafeteria. My eyes were blurred with sleep and I could barely make the spoon holding my cereal go into my mouth. My pokemon were in much better spirits from the day of rest. They dug into their food happily, and I had to chuckle at the way they were eating. I was happy to see my pokemon in such a great mood.

Ket pecked eagerly at her food, baring the playfulness of others, but not allowing them to get a piece of her food. Blizzard, my giant flying serpent, filled almost half of the area that made up the upper level, but was happy to be included in the breakfast ritual. Volk sat across from me, adapting a more humanesque posture than any of the others, and made side comments to me every once in a while.

At one such comment I snorted, milk coming out of my nose as I laughed. I had translated it to be something along the lines of, 'If Clad takes any more food from the others, he'll be larger than an Aggron before he evolves.' My pokemon seemed to be startled at my laughter, but then all joined in. I didn't know if it was because it was so early in the morning or if it was really that funny.

After things had settled back down I continued to watch the other. Edge, though new to the group, seemed to be an instant hit, although he was a little show off-ish. Clad did seem to be sneaking food from the others, and as I watched Thorn gave him a small jolt for digging into his dish.

I was happy that they got along so well, what would I do if all they did was fight?

An hour later, I was leaving town. I had decided that, even though Archie had assured me he would handle it, I felt safer if I was there to help stop Team Magma. Spindas seemed to be poring out of the ash ridden air as I walked, wondering where they had been when I had first entered the route. Perhaps Edge had scared them all off?

I stopped at the workshop and pulled out the soot sack, which was filled to the brim. After asking for the blue and yellow flutes, I gave a gracious good bye and left the sack there. I knew that I could come ask for it back if I really felt I needed more flutes.

Pulling my goggles back on I walked back into the swirling soot morning. I reached for my bandanna, but couldn't feel it. I was on the edge of the grass and I turned, scanning the area between me and the small workshop.

Not seeing it on the ground, I began to walk forward, intending to search the workshop. Then walking was tipping, and tipping was falling. Pain roared from my legs and I screamed out as I heard two loud cracks. The pain spread up to my back and I lurched forward, my weight hauling me down.

As I landed in the soot, the last thing I saw was a flash of red cloth.

Ch.9

…

"I'll report this right away." said the nurse calmly, and all I could do was mentally scream in anger. _Two days! TWO DAYS!_ They had kept me under for two days to 'allow you to heal', as they said. And in that two days, the thief had gotten away!

I ran my hands over my almost full back pack strap. There was Ket, Blizzard, Volk, Edge, Clad, and one empty slot. I wanted to run out the door _this_ instant and hunt the thief down myself, bringing a slow and painful demise.

Thorn was gone. My little thunder dog, so bold and courageous, had been stolen! There was nothing more I wanted to do then hunt down the trash that had taken him, but, of course, there was no way to know who.

I had been found partially covered in ash by the glassblower's assistant, the backs of my legs burnt badly. He had run into town and gotten help, but now I was here, and Thorn was gone. No one had seen the thief, and by the time I had been found, the track would have been covered. Not that anyone was looking for tracks.

I wondered at the lack of law enforcement in this world. It was, supposedly, the gym leaders job to keep peace, along with the League, if things got bad.

I sighed in defeat and wheeled myself to a window, watching as the sun rose towards noon. Did I mention that the bastard had broken my legs? Yep, both of them. They were only hair-line fractures, but they still confined me to the wheelchair.

"Eat this." the nurse said, pushing a plate of what looked to be scrambled eggs into my hands. I stared at the food, not having seen scrambled eggs since I got here. She sighed. "They're Chansey eggs, and they promote healing. So far you have been on a drip of the liquified form, and if you eat, those fractures will be healed within three to four days."

She walked away in this world's fashion, and I began to eat the eggs, which indeed tasted scrambled.

…

The ash swirled around me as I watched what I could see of my Pokémon. Sneaking out of the center had been easy, and I was glad that the ground around town was flat, allowing me to get to the edge of the route. That was where I was.

In my hands I held a long red metal feather that Edge had shed, if that was the right word. My Pokédex listed that ancients had made swords from these feathers, and I couldn't help but toy with the idea in my mind. I gazed through the tall grass, catching glimpses of my smaller Pokémon chasing after enemies or playing with each other. I felt confident that they were safe with everyone out. Blizzard towered over the rest and seemed to be giving input to the others.

I chuckled before remembering that Thorn had been stolen. I knew for certain that I wouldn't see him again, unless it was a stroke of luck. Heck, whoever it was could be in a different region by now, selling him on the black market. I shook my head, trying to clear the dark mood, but failed. It was the first Pokémon that I had lost to no fault of my own.

I rested the feather across the wheelchair, letting it hover an inch or so over my lap. I raised my left wrist and looked upon the two faded out balls. The first, wrapped in the cord that made up the bracelet, was Poochy's. I smiled sadly, still unable to think of a better name. Perhaps it was just meant to remain. The second dangled from a green length of fishing wire.

"Peck..." I murmured. He had been lost due to my stupidity. I could have sent Thorn into the fray, but I hadn't thought. I had been too worried over Clad and had thrown the first ball I had grabbed. It had been more devastating than Poochy's, but much easier to accept. It had made me realize that nobody in this world seemed to care about the lives around them.

I had, in fact, seen that truth on my first day. That Lotad was the first wild Pokémon I had seen, and I briefly wondered if that meant that that would have been the only Pokémon that I could have caught. That didn't actually matter, though, since I had refused to catch the Wurmple I had run into.

_Wurmples,_ I thought, my mind turning back to Poochy, _They can die for all I care!_ I knew I truly didn't mean it, but they were the sole cause of my first loss, and I would never forgive that. Of course, I had run across another Poochyena on the route north-east of Rustboro, but I had been too sad at the time to catch it.

A call from my Pokémon went up, and I looked around to see that a group of Spinda had moved into the area. The dizzy bears creeped me out, as they didn't have actual eyes and tottered around everywhere. The group was being beaten down by my team and I had to smirk. They did work well with each other.

A single Spinda came out of the grass and stood straight, not tipping and dipping all over the place. Now, if I were interested in catching one,this was the one for me. It walked normally for a few steps and seemed to look around for something. I watched as the harmless Pokémon looked back at the grass, then at me, and my blood ran cold.

Slaver foamed at the corner of its mouth and one of the spots was noticeably _redder_ than the other and had a drip going down from it. _PokéRabies_, I felt frozen as the thing took one, then two steps toward me before breaking out in a full sprint. Time seemed to slow as it came closer and closer to ripping me apart.

I gripped my hands and felt the sharp edge of the feather press against me, not enough to cut, but hard enough to know that it could cut easily. I grabbed the base and lifted the gleaming red metal before pushing it straight forward.

The Spinda's momentum carried it up the blade, it's tiny paws still swinging as it reached almost to my hand. Then it stopped. Its arms dropped and it noticeably sagged as blood streamed from its mouth. It was dead. I had killed a Pokémon, willingly taken the life of this small creature that now rested its weight against the faux blade.

I turned my head and leaned over the side of the chair. Then puked.

Volk came up to me and fired a strong ember at the body after pushing it off the blade. The Combusken kept the flame going as I set the sword in the fire, allowing the gore to be burnt away.

After the fire died down I lifted the blade. A scorch mark ran across the edge, causing the cutting side to be black. I lifted it and turned in the chair, headed back to the center.

…

Two days after the incident I looked up from my work and stretched my arms above my head. Below the usual smattering of coordinators discussed their craft and bragged about their Pokémon. The nurse and Chanseys flitted about, tending to their duties. A girl in red slipped out the door, letting some stray ash spiral in.

I looked back to my project and grinned. There were two completed Skarmory feather blades and shoulder armor made from the back piece of Clad's Aron shell, the small blunt spike sticking about four inches into the air. The sword hilts hugged the base of the feather, covering the sharp edge should my hand slip up, but being aesthetically pleasing as they followed the natural curve.

The metal for the guard and grip were black, burnt to the color by Volk. I reached down and picked up the finishing touch. I wrapped the two strands of black leather around the hilts and tested the grip, pleased by my handiwork.

I tucked the blades into sheaths that I had finished earlier in the day and attached them to the back of the wheelchair. I wasn't going to be defenseless anymore, and I would fight to the end for the lives of my team and myself. I picked up the pauldron and placed it on my shoulder, securing the straps and testing the range of motion.

It was surprising that I could bend my arm in every direction I could before, but I thanked the design I had found using the P.C. Looking back, I saw my Pokémon finishing their meals and lounging around. We had been constantly training, and I felt it was time for a break from that.

Since I had yet to receive the go ahead to get out of the chair, even though I had downed countless plates of 'scrambled eggs', I decided that we could spend the next day without training, and without Pokéballs. We were going to relax if it killed us.

…

The next night I was finally cleared, and I stood without further ado, testing my newly healed legs. They screamed at me for using them after so long, but I was glad that they worked. I stretched, leaning my weight between them and feeling the pull of my new burn scars. According to the nurse, I would be living with them for the rest of my life, but they would be manageable as long as I kept them stretched.

_Heh, no problem with that! I plan to be a trainer my entire life. There's no way I will be slowed down by some measly burns!_ Even so, the nurse insisted I take a salve for if they did tighten, informing me that it was likely to happen a lot in the first week or two.

The jar currently sat in my pack, which no longer housed my Pokéballs, as that role was taken by the small holder I had added to the sword belts. I had one strapped to either side, the belts being higher than the sword of the opposite side so I had and 'X' across my waist. Their weight felt nice, and I rested my hands on them, feeling comfortable but ready for anything.

I would definitely have to train with the blades, perhaps having Clad and Edge as my sparring partners so that I wouldn't hurt anyone.

Turning to leave, I remembered that the day was almost over, and turned back to find a couch. I sat down and released a mental sigh. It was nice to walk again, and tomorrow I would head to Lavaridge to stop Team Magma.

The morning came fast, but I was ready for it. After a quick breakfast I set out, keeping my eyes trained on my surroundings. I wouldn't be caught off guard again. The ash swirled around me and I marched through the grass without incident.

Soon enough the ash faded and I pulled my goggles down. I turned onto the new route and stared longingly at the desert. I wanted to go there so badly, but I knew that I had to get to the top of Mt. Chimney. I walked toward the sweltering heat of Fiery path and tucked my goggles in a small pouch in my shoulder plate.

The heat seemed worse than it had before, and I rushed through the path, having Clad take down the few Koffings that got in my way.

Approaching the Cable Car, I glanced furtively around, trying to find a hint of red. The area was almost deserted. The early afternoon sun beat down on me. Walking in I took in my surroundings. There were two operatives standing behind a beat up counter. A vending machine sat in the corner with an 'out of service' sign posted on it. A few patrons sat in the couches, waiting for the car.

There were no signs of the Teams and I sat, expecting some one to jump at me and ask for a battle. The car arrived ten minutes later and I piled in with the others, ascending the volcano.

I walked briskly out of the station and looked around, expecting to see the Teams duking it out. Instead I was confronted with an old woman who convinced me to buy a box of fifty lava cookies. I walked on and past large outcroppings of rock, all the time keeping my eyes open.

Could it be possible that I had missed the whole event? I know I had been stuck at the center for a while, but I dreaded that something could have happened when I wasn't here. The path started to descend and I leaned my weight back, being careful not to slip down the slope.

I gazed over the side and was met with a blast of sulfurous air, my lungs rebelling at the chemical and sending me into a coughing fit. I took a small break at the bottom of the slope and rested against one of the rocks.

This made absolutely no sense! I hadn't met them anywhere but in Meteor Falls, but this was directly connected to that. One didn't just happen without the other! I ran my hand over my belt, circling the Pokéballs held there. I sighed and stood back up. There had to be something.

After an hour, I came across the machine that held the meteorite. Oddly enough, the meteorite was still in the heavily damaged machine. I reached in and pulled the heavy rock out, letting it rest in my hand. I sat on the edge of the cliff and dangled my legs over the lava pit below, not really worrying over the bubbling magma.

I looked at the rock in my hands and noted the rust like color, along with the small cracks that ran along the sides. Small divots broke the surface, making me liken it to a golf ball. I ran my hand along one of the cracks and slid my nail in, pulling lightly.

I was so surprised when it cracked in half that one plummeted into the magma below. Looking down, I gulped, finally realizing where I was. I stood, quickly pocketing the half that I had kept hold of and walking to Lavaridge.

...

I relaxed in the hot springs, most of my Pokémon having also come into the water. Clad layed on the edge, trailing a fore paw in the water and making a deep humming that soothed me to the soul. I was smiling and happy, the water feeling good against my soot streaked body.

Upon entering the Pokécenter, I had made my way to the gift shop, buying the mostly red pair of swim trunks I now wore along with a brand new wardrobe to replace the permanently soot-stained clothes that I had promptly thrown out. I had gone all out with the clothes, replacing everything except for my strangely clean shoes.

Groaning slightly, I lifted myself from the private pool and moved back to the dressing rooms. As I entered, I looked in the mirror. My hair was clean and looked whiter than ever, me having to look close to see any trace of brown. It was also longer, now falling over my ears and coming almost to my eyes. My light brown eyes contrasted nicely with the tan I had picked up. I turned and looked at my back, noting that the bruise on my back had been replaced with the red rippling burns that covered the back of my lower legs.

I walked into a stall and exited wearing my new purchases. There was a red-collared shirt that reminded me of the first I had, but was much better fitting. I looked down, and smiled at the black cargoes, which looked nice against the black sneakers with red stripes down the middle. Turning I noticed a small circle on the back of the shoe.

Looking closer, I realized that it was a small 'B' button, and when I pushed it it inflated the shoe a little, making walking easier. _Better late then never_, I thought to myself. My armament and new backpack completed the look, as all a passerby could see of them was black of the swords and pack, the exclusion being the shoulder, which was silver.

Reaching into the shoulder pouch, I smirked. I pulled out a black leather pair of goggles with red tinted lenses. I put them on and took in my full look. It was very Hoenn, as I had found out that black and red were the national colors. With the goggles on my face, I noted that this pair did not block my vision at all, most likely designed by someone who had seen a Flygon's eye coverings.

I let my mind drift a little, imagining that I was flying high on the back of a Flygon over the deserts.

As I left, I returned all of my Pokémon, taking in one last glance at my reflected outfit. I walked out and straight into someone I hadn't seen in a while. His black hair was showing red at the roots and he wore a rumbled jacket that had some sort of insignia on it. He stood and scowled at me, which was strange, considering the fact that he had been somewhat... pleasant the last time.

"Hello, Caid." I said cheerfully.

"Tiran." he stated simply, his voice filled with loathing.

… … …

Ch.10

…

"I challenge you to a battle!" Caid snarled, not even waiting for my reply as he backed for a small arena. "Full teams, winner by knockout."

What was wrong with him? It seemed that I had no choice, and I looked to the five on my belt, then the six on his. I grimaced, already at a disadvantage. I guess I'll have to rely on my teams heavy training in the last week.

"I accept." I stated, knowing full well that it was a demand, not a request. I reached down and unhooked Clad's ball. He was one of, if not the, strongest, and I would happily have him face whatever came first to get a good gauge on Caid's abilities. "Clad, you're up!"

"Anorith, you're up!" I watched as the small clawed creature came onto the field, and tightened my lips. It was one of the fossil Pokémon of the region. Rock and bug, yet knew water type moves. This might b hard.

"Clad, Take Down!" He leaped immediately into action, running full speed at the opponent and bellowing out his name. A silverish glow encased the front of Clad's body, and he rammed directly into... a water gun.

The high pressured blast had been completely uncalled by Caid, and therefore unknown to us. I gritted my teeth and glared at the trainer across from me. He was smiling, an evil gleam to his eyes, and I knew that this would be an all out fight.

"Anorith, keep that thing wet." he said, the picture of calm and cool. Anorith kept the stream going, and as I watched as it sprayed away Clad's health. There was no way my Lairon could stand much more of this. Then an idea sparked in my head.

"Clad, Rollout, then break to Shock Wave!" I smirked as I saw Caid's confused look across the field. Clad started a Rollout, but instead of going toward the opponent he went right, escaping the high pressured spray and charging a ball of electricity in front of his mouth. Anorith couldn't see what was happening, listening to his last order to a 'T'.

The electric ball reached full mass and lanced away, going directly into the water. Sparks crackled up the length, then entered Anorith, who almost immediately passed out.

"Laaai-Ron!"

"That's the way to do it!" I shouted, encouraging. Then my face split into the widest grin in the world. Clad was on the field, his form lit by the bright light of evolution. He grew and grew, shifting to a stance on two legs, and as the glow faded he roared, a primal sound that sent shivers down my spine.

I felt my mouth drop as the roaring stopped suddenly. The ground quaked as Clad fell, landing heavily on his back. Ice had formed across his chest and torso, stopping movement and still spreading. When I saw the reason, my eyes narrowed.

"Cheap shot!" I yelled, my voice filled with anger as I spotted the Jynx. It still had a blue flame surrounding its fist, and seemed to pout at me. I flipped it off and turned my attention to Caid, returning Clad.

"You were distracted, I took initiative. Nothing in the rules against that, I should know." I glowered at his smirking form, then registered what he said.

"What do you mean, you should know?" He laughed and I narrowed my eyes, resting one hand on a blade, the other on a Pokéball.

"I _am _a League Official, unless my jacket escaped your notice? I was sent here to appoint a new Gym Leader, the last was... Removed." He seemed to ponder his own words then glared at me. "Ice Punch!"

I felt the blood drain from my face as the Jynx rushed me, the blue flames appearing around her fist once again. It moved too quickly for me to move, and I dropped under the fist as it lashed out. I could feel the cold coming from the fist that passed an inch above my face, then threw the ball in my hand. Time to fight ice with fire.

"Volk, hit it with an ember!" I scrambled away as the electricity crackled next to me, blasting the ice Pokémon away with force. I looked around, wondering, and saw that I had had Blizzard's ball, not Volk's. I bowed to the gentle giant and turned back to the fight.

"Powder Snow!" my opponent called, and I felt the temperature drop yet again. The area darkened and Jynx glowed the blue of an ice move. I recalled the last time, and how the only reason I had resisted was that I had had Volk on the field. I frowned at Caid then turned my attention to Blizzard.

"Block with Hydro Pump." She nodded toward me, then let the water attack fly as snow blasted towards us. I gasped at the frigid chill, small pieces of hail striking me as we faced the more powerful version of the move, it was almost a full blown Blizzard!

The Hydro Pump was quickly turning to our downfall, the wind knocking it back as frozen shards and freeze-on-contact water. All I could do was watch as Blizz was frozen by her own attack. The wind faded, and I stared upon the now frozen serpent. Sighing, I returned her and moved to the next ball.

Deciding to save Volk for last, in case anything else came at me, I grabbed Edge's ball and released him to the field. "Air Cutter!"

He complied, racing toward the ice Pokémon and scoring as direct a hit as there could possibly be. It keeled over the attack and lay out cold on the ground. I just gaped at this, as did Caid, before he returned her and threw his next Pokéball onto the field. He was not speaking, and as I watched his face grew redder and redder. It may have helped me, but it looked like he'd pop a blood vessel if he didn't stop.

A Camerupt now stood on the field, and I had to wonder at my opponent's luck. It was black furred with a brown snout and volcanoes, the numbers on its side a bright yellow.

"Ruuuuuupt!" It yelled, blasting a large amount of smoke.

"Flamethrower." Caid said calmly, his face still the apoplectic red from before. All I could do was watch in horror as flames rushed out and engulfed Edge.

"Get out!" I yelled, but it was too late. The flames still crackled on the ground, burning the small amount of grass. Edge lay, knocked out, in the center of the field. I returned him and held my eyes closed. The ball rested against my chest and I whispered, "Don't be dead, don't be dead."

I slowly opened my eyes and sighed happily as I saw the bright red shine of a Pokéball in my hand. I returned the ball to my belt, taking the next.

"Ket, I need you." Ket burst from the ball, keeping to the air. She raised far above the field and I grinned at the tactic. By the time flames reached that far, she would be able to dodge them easily.

"Amnesia, then fill the sky." came the creepy calm order from my red faced opponent. A shimmer surrounded the Camerupt, then flames poured from its back and mouth. Even in the intense heat a shiver of dread ran down my spine.

The flames truly did fill the sky, casting an eerie flickering daylight over the area. I could not see anything but the flames when I looked up, but I heard Ket shriek of pain. The Swellow plummeted from the heavens as I watched, bursting through the wall of flame and crashing into the ground. I held my breath as she struggled up, on the brink of collapse while our opponent was still fresh.

"Endeavor!" I called. Ket collapsed on the ground, but not before she had gotten the attack off. I watched as the Camerupt across the field slumped to the ground, following Ket into the realm of unconsciousness.

The battle was going badly, I was down to my last, and Caid still had three on his belt. I held up the last and called out Volk, sending a silent prayer to the sky.

"Breloom." I looked down and saw that, indeed, Caid had called out the half grass type. I smirked, thinking that maybe, just maybe, I had a chance. "Mach Punch."

The air seemed to blur, and I was amazed that, not a second later, the punch landed in Volk's stomach.

"Jump in the fire and Ember!" I yelled, knowing that the damage from the fire would be nothing compared to the damage from another punch. Volk obeyed and leaped into the flames, turning to let out a blast of embers that quickly covered the field. The Breloom hopped from one patch of fire to the next, trying to get out of the searing flames, but there was no use.

"Yes!" I yelled as the Pokémon went down. The fires immediately decreased, as they had run out of fuel, and Volk crowed in triumph.

For the second time today, I saw a Pokémon evolve. Volk now stood before me as a tall, powerful Blaiziken. I smiled, but we both turned our attention back to the field. Caid looked even redder than before, if that was possible, and before him was an Ivysaur.

I looked back and forth between the two and realized that this must be his starter. It would be the first Pokémon for both of us, and I had the advantage. I glanced over to Volk, who glanced back, and we nodded to each other.

"Try your new move, Blaze Kick!" Volk ran forward, weaving back and forth to avoid the Razor Leaf that the small dino had fired. He closed the distance quickly and landed the fiery kick, sending the Ivysaur soaring. It landed with a grunt and didn't move.

I ran across the field and jumped at Volk, bringing him into a big hug. I was glad that we had won, but most glad that we hadn't lost a single team mate.

"You did great!"

"Blai!" he yelled back, almost deafening with his happiness. All I could do was grin up at him. I felt something sharp poking my stomach and Volk gave me a pained look.

Blood rushed from my face as I looked down. There was a silver length of metal, maybe three inches long, that protruded from The fiery red stomach feathers. It slid quickly back and Volk collapsed to the side.

Now I was face to face with Caid, a dripping red sword held in his hands. He stood straight then slashed down at my fallen companion, severing his leg. I gasped at the blood that flew from the impact, splattering up and covering Caid from head to toe.

Rage built in my chest and I screamed at him, a primal bellow that could have matched Clad's. I pulled both swords from their sheaths and rushed the attacker. I swung hard, but he easily side stepped the blow, his bloody smirk goading me on.

I lunged forward with my left and had the blade knocked from my grip. By now, a crowd had gathered,though none helped me. I raced forward again and slashed down with my right, trying to get a decent blow. Caid deftly deflected the sword and held his blade to my throat.

"Drop the weapon." he said, his voice dripping acid. I complied, knowing there was nothing I could do. I could not protect my Pokémon or myself. I had let Volk down, I had let my whole team down, I had let myself down. I held my hands to the side and stared the evil bastard in the face, daring him to do it. But he didn't.

"And you're supposed to do something? How can you help this world when you can't even beat me." He grabbed the last ball from his belt and dropped it to the ground. The thin layer on the outside cracked open and revealed a grayed out ball. I could only stare at the empty shell that had once held a living Pokémon.

"You haven't lost anything, have you? It was all gain, and no true loss. Now you will feel the true pain and helplessness that comes with loss, and understand that the world is cruel." He whipped the sword around and sheathed it. He simply sneered at me and walked away, not looking back.

I collapsed on the ground and held Volk's clawed hand as workers from the Pokémon Center rushed to my side.

…

The rest of my Pokémon had been returned to me, but Volk was still in the emergency room. I gazed forward, unseeing, and thought back to what Caid had said. _You haven't lost anything, have you? It was all gain, and no true loss. Now you will feel the true pain and helplessness that comes with loss, and understand that the world is cruel._

I agreed, the world was cruel. But he was wrong, I had met loss head on and taken it, dealt with it, been haunted by it. I absently thumbed the two balls hanging from my left wrist and morbidly wondered if there would be another at the end of this day.

I shook myself and stood, going outside. I released Edge and Clad, who looked at me sadly, then stripped of my backpack, shirt, and shoulder plate, carefully setting them on the ground out of the way. The looks had turned from sad to confused, and I nodded to the two, pulling out my swords.

"I will never let you down again," I said, "I will get stronger and be able to protect my family. I want you to both come at me, so I can train with these. The others would get hurt, but your armor will protect you."

Both looked at me and refused, turning their backs. I watched as they grumbled under their breath, something like 'It is our job to protect you'. I shook my head and came up with my counter.

"No. It is not a one way street, it is my duty to protect you in return." They both turned and stared at me like I was out of my mind. But I guess I was. I mean, asking two steel type Pokémon to attack me?

Both had turned to watch me as I had spoken, and then they nodded. I was going to get what I asked for. They both rushed forward at once, but I could tell that they were dulling their movements. I appreciated the thought, but dropped into a stance and raised the swords.

Clad came in first and I deflected a jab from the horn with my left as Edge caught the sword on my right. I pulled both swords in and tumbled out of the clash, raising again as sweat began to drip down my face. I could feel a drop of blood coming from my side, but it was a shallow cut.

This would truly be hard training.

…

A nurse interrupted us five hours later.

I was drenched with sweat and blood dripped from the many cuts, but I knew that I could now hold my own. Clad and Edge had stopped holding back three hours ago and started using real attacks. Considering that they were both so strong, I was sure I was capable of taking care of any threats of the human kind. My thoughts turned to Caid and I frowned, knowing that if I ever saw him again...

It is best not to think of that.

"Yours is the Blaiziken that was... injured earlier?" she asked, pausing on the word 'injured'. I nodded and she grinned. "He's going to live. But," she said, cutting short my celebration, "He will never be able to battle again. We were unable to graft his leg and the blade pierced some important organs. He is unable to fight, and the suggestion of the Pokémon center is to put him down."

My joy went to worry, then to anger. "You will not lay a hand on him!" I screamed, the nurse running away, the message having gotten through. Who knew a ten year old could scare the shit out of an adult?

Volk would live, and that was the thing that mattered.

Ch11

…

I guided Volk out of Mauville and frowned. It had been a full day more before they had let me see him. When I had walked in, I could feel tears prick the backs of my eyes, but I would not let them out.

He was laying on the bed, his over six foot form taking up the whole thing. I stared at the bandages that were wrapped around his middle and eyes. They had not told me that he had been blinded, and I did not clearly remember the fight, being overtaken by anger, but it must have also been Caid.

Volk's left leg ended at the knee, but was left unwrapped, the skin and feathers there were charred. _Cauterization,_ my mind filled in, the burning of an open wound to close it. I could see that some blood was staining the bandages around his abdomen, a little even seeping through the bandage on his eyes.

I sat next to my now oversized bird and leaned in, careful not to bump any of his injuries. He had not woken, but I could tell he was stirring. I had spent the whole day training with swords, then a little time to fight the gym. I had won easily and came back to the Center for this moment. I looked down at Volk again, and smiled as he lifted a hand.

I gripped it and whispered, "I'm here. They wouldn't let me in before, but I'm here now." Volk gripped my hand tightly.

"Blai." he said weakly. All I could do was grip his hand and hope it would be alright.

I sighed and looked up at the noon sky. It had taken us awhile to get to Mauville, traveling with Volk out, but I was fine with that. The nurses had told me, grudgingly, that serious injuries can become worse if the Pokémon is contained within a ball,so I had let Volk out as soon as I had reached the level ground after Lavaridge.

When I had let him out, he had fallen, unable to stand on his single leg or find me without his sight. I had rushed to him and apologized profusely, but he had waved me off.

We walked past the day care center, but I turned away. There was no way I would leave any of my Pokémon behind. As the early afternoon faded to night, we arrived in Verdanturf. I headed to the Center, hoping that I could get a couch for Volk, when a hand set itself on my shoulder.

"Well, if it isn't Tir. I haven't seen you in... Five years!" I turned to the unknown voice and took the man's appearance in. He was somewhat short, standing at five foot eight, but I could almost immediately tell that he was related to Wally. He had the same facial look and stance, though the last I had seen him, Wally was sick.

"I'm sorry, I can't quite remember your name..."

"That's okay, just call me Uncle. You and Wally were so close, it was almost like you were brothers, so that makes me your Uncle too!" He paused for a second and took in Volk's appearance, and I swore that if he said to put him down, I would kill him. Instead he said, "You can't stay at the Pokémon Center! You have to come and meet my wife, and my daughter and her boyfreind."

I followed after him, after giving an awkward smile, and prayed that they didn't find me out as an imposter. The house was mid-way through the town and was pretty large. It was two stories and seemed like it was a very big house from the outside.

As the door opened, I smelled some delicious food cooking, and followed Uncle in. "Look who's here everyone!" Uncle shouted. Two people turned toward me, and I could almost immediately tell they were mother and daughter. "This is Tir! He and Wally were best friends in Petalburg."

"Why hello there," greeted the older woman, "You look just like Wally described. You can call me Aunt." I almost sighed at this, but held it in. They were making it awkward enough, having me stay here, but now I had to call them Uncle and Aunt.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Wanda, Wally's cousin. My boyfreind was here, but tou just missed him. He had to go back to Rustboro." She held her hand out and I shook it.

They waved me over to join them for dinner. I helped Volk into the seat and then asked them if it was okay to let the rest of my Pokémon out. They gave me the okay, and I looked up at the oversized room. It seemed to extend into where the second floor should be, with a small opening in the wall above for people who actually _were_ on the second floor. This would be enough space for Blizz and Clad, who were the two biggest.

We had a wonderful tasting dinner that was filled with stories of when Wally, and sometimes I, were younger. I learned some bits about how well we had known each other, but kept my mouth shut, not wanting to give away that I knew nothing about these happy memories.

The night ended quickly and in the morning I was about to set off, headed back to Petalburg.

"Wait!" called Uncle. I was getting slightly tired of his constant shouting, but turned and smiled. "I want you to take these, and if you see Wally, please give him one." He handed me two discs, and I looked down. Both were the Strength HM. I looked back up, but was met by empty air, he had already walked away.

Rusturf Tunnel and Rustboro were both uneventful, although I did let Clad out to keep the wild Pokémon away. We soon arrived at Petalburg woods, and I glared at the shadows as we passed through, but nothing bothered us.

Night was falling as we entered Petalburg, and I sighed. No point in challenging the Gym Leader today. I was almost to the Pokémon center when I realized that I lived in town. There was no point in staying in a cramped, uncomfortable lobby when I could just sleep in my own home.

I entered the house and looked around. It seemed deserted, as if no one had been here since I left.

"Hello?" I yelled into the house. Volk clung tighter to me as we passed the door and I led him into the kitchen, pulling out a chair for him. "Huh, guess nobodies home."

I made a quick dinner for everyone, then went up to my room with Volk. I tried to give him the bed, but he refused, so I took my sleeping bag and layed it out for him. The room was as I remembered it, minus the layer of dust. I went over and picked up the laptop from my desk, slipping it into my pack. Wouldn't be any harm in being able to teach my Pokémon TM's outside of the Pokémon centers.

I walked back over to Volk and saw that the bandages around his stomach were stained slightly red again. The ones around his eyes was clean, though, as it had been since that first night. I idly wondered if I would be able to take the eye bandages off soon, then if there was a way to heal him.

I remembered that there were Pokémon like Jirachi and Arceus, able to change whats around them. Maybe even a Mew would be able to help. I turned my attention back to Jirachi, though, as it was the most likely to be found here. It was, after all, a Hoenn native.

Applying the badages was a quick job, but as I shifted to tie them tight, my leg spasmed. I yelled out in pain, startling Volk who couldn't see what was wrong. He tried to get up, only to be able to stand with a hand against the wall, reaching out blindly.

"It's okay," I hissed, my leg in pain as it felt like my skin was ripping apart. "Just my leg." It was the first time that this had happened, and I clenched my teeth as I dug out the cream from my bag. I tried to apply it, but was unable to get the right angle.

"Can you help me Volk?" He sat back down and I handed him the jar. "I can't reach them right."

…

The next morning I had to have Volk use the cream again, my legs having stiffened over night. Afterwards, I applied new bandages. The ones on his stomsach due to blood, and the ones on his eyes to give him a cleaner look.

When I took the bandages from his eyes, I was startled to see that a single line ran from one side to the other, going over and into both eyes. I quickly applied the bandages and helped Volk up. "Time to beat the gym leader."

The gym was empty, though. There were two doors, one on either side, and I walked to the right and read the sign. 'Accuracy Room'

I walked into the room and spotted the trainer immediately. Grinning, I thought _First Gym like the game._ The guy was taking apart and putting together a rifle scope, faster than I thought possible, then I frowned. I had yet to see guns in the game, but here was a scope? I just shook my head.

"Hey, there!" he said, finally noticing me. Lets see how easy you find it to battle when your Pokémon can't hit the target!" He then threw out a ball, releasing a Swellow.

I reached to my belt, careful not to jostle Volk. "Go, Clad! Start with Shock Wave!" He burst into the room and roared, then released a quickly charged Shock Wave. Before the Swellow could even move it was struck, then down. I just gaped at it, then was waved through.

The next two rooms went just as quickly, the quirky trainers waving me through. I finally reached the leader and had to wonder, would he be as weak as the rest of the trainers.

"Hello?" I called, feeling a sense of De'javu. The leader walked out from an office and stood on the other side of the field. "It seems you have passed all of my Gym Trainers. Welcome to the main event, I'm Norman. This will be a four on four battle for the Balance Badge."

It was the first time I had gotten the whole speech, but I noticed that his attention was more on Volk then it was on what he was saying. I looked to my fiery pal and noted that he was listening intently to the Leader. I wished that I would have been able to battle with him, but I knew that his leg prevented it, along with the other injuries.

"C'mon Clad!" I called, my large Aggron snapping the Norman from his thoughts.

"Spinda, take this!" My eyes narrowed at the dizzy bear, but I kept my hate of it to myself.

"Clad, Take Down!" He did so and charged the bear. At the last second, it seemed to fall to the left, easily avoiding the attack. Clad slammed into what looked like a new part of the floor, going straight through it to the ground about six inches down.

"Use Teeter Dance!" Norman called, trying to get my Pokémon dizzy.

"Quick! Iron Tail!"

The glowing tail collided with the teetering Spinda, and I sighed as it slipped to the floor, not rising. Unfortunately, Clad was wavering back in forth. Grimacing, I pulled out the yellow flute in my bag and blew into it, the sound catching Clad's attention enough that he was able to stop swaying.

"Good thinking," Norman stated, referring to the flute, "Go, Vigoroth!"

"Rollout!" I yelled as soon as the giant sloth was on the field. Clad raced forward and slammed into it, then rolled back for another pass.

"Slash the floor in front of you!" I grinned, watching as the Vigoroth tore apart the floor, trying to create a bump to disrupt the Rollout.

"Jump it!" I watched as the giant metal ball jumped the trench and slammed the Vigoroth down, only catching a glancing Slash attack. Norman grimaced and brought out the next target. It was a lithe looking Linoone and I looked on in envy.

"Use Headbutt!"

Linoone raced forward with surprising speed and tried to slam its head against my rolling Aggron, but was squashed for its troubles, taken out in one hit. Norman grunted and let out his last Pokémon, a giant Slaking. Clad bore forward, his Rollout attack tearing up the floor boards behind him. I watched with a smile as he slammed into his lazy opponent, taking it down as quickly as the Linoone.

Clad finally stopped rolling and let out a victory roar. He looked slightly tired, but you wouldn't guess that by the way he crushed me in a hug, Volk in his other arm getting a less crushing version. All I could do was beam at my metal monstrosity. So strong he could take a Gym Leader single handed, yet so childlike that he gave hugs like a pro.

"Here is the Balance Badge." Norman said, handing me the small piece of metal once Clad had released me. I smiled down at my fifth badge and pinned it into my pack with the others, glad that I was over half way to the League and taking down the Elite Four. I looked back to Norman and caught him giving me weird look.

"What?"

"One question... Is Pokémon a game?"

The blood rushed from my face as I took in the man in front of me. Slowly nodded, then asked, "How?"

He smiled. "My real name is Eric. I was a programmer who was sucked in while playing Sapphire on my computer. The rest of the Gym Leaders are the same, up to Lavaridge. We haven't heard from the Gyms past that. Stephanie took the place of Roxanne. Hiro is the Brawly replacement, and Morgan is the Leader at Mauville, but he was recruited into that spot."

"But, how is all this possible? Please, you have to tell me!" I ended the yell and looked at my feet. Behind me, Clad was supporting Volk, and both were watching me, intently.

Norman looked distant for a second, then turned back to me. "You should meet someone. Her name is Lucy, and she took the place of May. If you go passed the Route 110 waterway, you should find her near there."

I turned to Volk and Clad. "We have to get there. I'm sorry Volk, but you'll have to be in the ball for a little. Let's go Clad, we have to teach you t swim!"

… … …

Ch.12

…

I stepped off of Clad's back and looked around, still not believing that the heavy steel pokemon could learn the move surf. Small trees rose on the path, bigger ones past them. I still couldn't get over the fact that there were more real world people here. In fact, every Gym Leader I had faced was from the real world, minus Lavaridge. My stomach twisted in knots as I walked down the path, entering Route 110.

Lucy, that was her name. She was a real world person that had taken the place of May. I smacked myself for the time I had seen her outside of Mauville and had walked away, thinking that she was from this world and would act like the others I had met. According to Eric, the faux Norman, She had taken on the Teams at every spot that I had missed them, which was everywhere besides Meteor Falls. I sighed as i thought of how the Teams were both out to destroy the world in their own ways, Archie had even helped me...

I shook myself out of my mental stupor and walked on, sharpening my eyes, and hoping that Eric had told her I was coming. He had said I should look on Route 110, but what if she had gone back through the Rusturf Tunnel, and I had passed her in Petalburg Woods? Then, I caught a shift of red and black. Sitting under a tree, a ways away was Lucy, the girl I had taken to be May.

She wore a red bandanna that covered her mid-length black hair. A black tank top rested above a pair of red cargos, and I almost laughed out loud, realizing that I had almost the exact same outfit, though I had a red collared tee, and a pair of black cargos, both of which I had bought in Lavaridge. Next to her stood a Combusken that looked slightly tired.

I paused to wonder if she had been battling, but then walked forward, waving to catch her attention.

When I got close enough to talk, I stopped, trying to think quick. She had stood already, and the Combusken was at her side. I gave it a smile and turned my attention back to it's trainer.

"Hello," I said, my nerves hitting my voice, "My name is Tiran, but call my Tir."

I held my hand out to shake.

She gave me a smile that calmed my nerves and shook my hand. I was surprised at how strong her grip was, but I guessed that mine was probably stronger too. She was taller than me, and now I truly felt my reduced age, but I tried not to let it bother me. In fact, I looked at the positive. Whatever my life span was before, here I had nine extra years to it.

"I'm Lucy," she told me, releasing my hand, "You must be the one Eric warned me about then?"

I frowned at this. Eric had warned her about me? Did that mean he had been playing me and had actually thought I had fallen on my head too many times? I sighed and gazed at the ground, half of me clinging, the other half wanting to leave now that I had heard that. I decided to get the start out of the way. I figured that if she laughed, I could leave and not have to worry.

"I guess," I said, keeping my voice even. I again looked at the Combusken and thought of Volk, who had been a Blaizeken. "I woke up in a house in Petalburg three weeks ago and was dragged by a man claiming to be my father to Professor Birch's lab. I got a starter and then decided to challenge the gyms... Oh!" I yelled out, thinking that the next bit might help, "And when i said dragged, I mean literally, he was going at least twice as fast as any other person I've ever seen, and I even left ruts in the grass!"

I dropped my hands to my sides, just now realizing that I had been flinging them around. I rested them on my sword hilts and jumped as the Combusken growled at me. Quickly realizing why, I released the hilts and raised my hands, as if to say 'see, I'm not doing anything.'

"You proclaim you were sent here like the rest of us, right?" Lucy said, her voice taking on a high tone, and looking down at my two blades. "Then what the hell are you doing with those?"

I looked at her and then down to my blades, then back up to her. Why had she gone so hostile on the weapons? I mean, sure, I could see that most people in this world didn't use them, in fact, I had seen no one with weapons, but they were for protection. And that's what I said.

"They're for protection," I stated, keeping my voice even so that I wouldn't get attacked. I mean, my pokemon were probably stronger than her's if she only had a Combusken, but I would have to reach them before I was burnt to a crisp. "I made them from Edge's feathers, they come off sometimes, and I like to make things, like my shoulder armor," I said shrugging my right shoulder to draw attention to it, "They help keep me and my pokemon safe, I mean what kind of robber is going to attack me if I have swords?"

I gasped for breath after my overlong explanation, and panted as I waited for a response. I truly wondered what I would have done without them, and a shudder ran down my back as I thought to the one time I had actually used them, besides training.

Lucy relaxed her stance after my answer, and I had to be grateful that she believed me.

"Sorry," she told me, running a hand trough her hair. "It's just... I'm from the… not so good part of Washington D.C. and generally when I see people with weapons like that it generally means the worst," she explained, shrugging. "Well, that and you have to admit it's disconcerting to see a ten year old with twin blades across his back."

"To my sides," I said without thinking, correcting her placement of my weapons. What had she said? Disconcerting to see a ten year old? I glanced down at myself and then _up_ at Lucy, my eyes widening. It had been so long since I had actually been treated young...

"Um... I kind of forgot I was ten here." I explained, giving a sheepish grin and rubbing my arm. "In the real world I was nineteen, but I lost some, uh, years when I came over. My hair also turned white, though it regained just a faint amount of brown as I traveled. But, don't worry, feel free to treat me as ten, because I can't remember anything past that age in the real world. I feel ten"

I sat down on the grass and leaned back against a tree, sighing. It had been so long since I let myself think of the real world, but everything I had said was true. I felt ten. Well, maybe a little older. The only distinct memories I had now were of me being really young, the only remnants of my older self being my knowledge of the pokemon world and games.

Why was my mind so empty? Lucy didn't seem like that.

"Oh, whoa. That must suck, but, I don't get it," Lucy told him as she sat back against the tree she had been under before. "My memories and age weren't affected like that, and nor were those of the other Gym Leaders." She ran a hand over her head and then looked back at me. "You have talked with the other gym Leaders, haven't you?"

This took me slightly off guard. I mean, yeah, Eric had told me that the other gym leaders were all 'real world', but I had assumed that at least one was effected in the same way as me. If I was the only one that had been affected, then something must have been different with my circumstances.

"I only found out from Eric that you were all real world, but... You're saying that none of them were affected like me?" I only took a slight pause for breath then said, "If that's true, then there must be something different about what happened to me..."

I watched as Lucy bit her lip, seeming to think. I heard Wingull call from the sky and looked up wistfully. I wish that Peck were still alive, another Wingull couldn't replace him, but I love the little seabirds. "Do you remember what you were doing when it happened?" Lucy asked. "So far our circumstances have all been similar; we were playing one of the RSE games as either a ROM or a cartridge for the Game Boy. Like, I had started Sapphire just before I went to bed and saved my game after the intro finished. Next thing I know I'm here," she waved an arm that took in the area around us, though I was certain it implied this world. "Same happened with Eric on his computer and Stephanie and Hiro on their Advances. So far, you and Morgan have been the only exceptions."

I put a hand to my chin and stared up, smiling as I watched the Wingulls. "I was playing soul silver." I said haltingly. "Then we stopped at a game store, and I picked up Emerald. I was so excited to finally get it, that I stopped playing my DS and got my SP. When we got home, I took Ruby out of the SP, and put Emerald in... And then I can't remember..." I stared at my hands for a second and looked back up. "I can't believe I remembered all that."

My memories of that day had come back so easily, but it was only concerning the games. I couldn't remember who I was with, or where exactly we had been, or even where we lived. All i remembered were the games. I let the shadowy figures fade from my mind to see what Lucy had to say.

"Damn," she said, "Let's try and put it all together, then, all right?" She lifted her hand and started to count off on them. "One, we can assume that all the Gym Leaders, plus the two of us, are from the Real World. Two, someone brought us here – I'm not really sure of the reasoning behind it, but I think it has something to do with the Legendaries." She stopped for a second and looked at me. "You know about Arceus, Dialga, and Palkia, right? How they manipulate time, energy, and dimensions? I think they have something to do with this."

I stared back, nodding my head. I had had a Diamond version and knew the basics of the Legendaries. It struck me as odd that I could remember more of that generation than the one I had fallen into, though. "So, if they did have something to do with this, do you think they brought specific people, or was it to do with certain games, and when they were started... Maybe it was both and I got the cartridge of someone who was supposed to take the place of Brendon? It would explain the white hair."

_But,_ I thought, _If that is so, why didn't I just take the place of Brendon, instead of ending up as some random person in this world_

I watched as Lucy's eyes bugged almost completely out of her head.

"That's it! That's gotta be it," her eyes skitted back and forth, and I almost laughed. "So, the Legendaries are the key, right? They must have contacted us somehow through the games. Through our stats!" Lucy yelled out, waving her arms around, as I had earlier, though I couldn't tell if she noticed or not. "I'd just deleted my stats with a new game, you did the same when you started yours, Eric's were still on his ROM file I'm sure and the same probably happened with the others. I got turned into May since I'd just started," She touched the red bandanna on her head, the only connection she and May had left. "And the others wear the uniforms of the Leaders they most resemble. But you… huh." She tilted her head and squinted at me. It was a weird feeling, to get stared at.

"Yeah, you must have picked up your game just after I did then, right? The next person to play it so you were chosen… but you came in too late to be Brendan since I'd already met and fought him and you got stuck into some pseudo-rival place. That's gotta be it…"

Lucy sagged and seemed to be thinking hard about something.

"So, I wasn't going to be here, it was the person who's spot I took." I sated sadly. "But I'm glad that I got to come here. It's the best thing that ever happened to me!" then a thought struck me, "What do you think happened to the people we replaced, though? If we took their spots, did they take ours, or are they just gone?"

I felt the blood run from my face. In everyone else's positions, they would be very similar looking. I, though, had switched with a ten year old. Had we switched ages, as well as worlds? What if we had just vanished? I couldn't remember my family or friends, but they would be sad I was gone, right?

"I don't think that you stole someone's spot," Lucy told me firmly, snapping me out of my reverie. "I think that the time lines between the two worlds are different – they've got to be, right? I mean, you can beat a game in a day and a half of straight playing, but here it takes months. So that brief period of time where you weren't playing was just long enough for me to start up. But then you picked up Emerald and it all began." she took a deep breath and sighed heavily. "I'm not sure about the second part, though – about the people who's places we took. It's entirely possible that they're in our world, messing around and freaking out and getting sent to asylums. It's also entirely possible that the people never truly existed until the Legendaries altered reality to let us in. And if they did that… Well, who are we to say that they aren't allowed to? I mean, some stories say that Arceus created humans to begin with; and if that's true then how could we say it's wrong for him to change the world at his will and for the betterment, at that?"

I smiled slightly, happy that she thought I was meant to be here. "I like the second idea better, that they didn't exist until we were here. It makes me feel better if I didn't kick someone out of this spot for me to be here." I glanced to the Combusken, who was watching and following the conversation intently. "I came the morning after you did. Professor Birch told me that he had given out the other Torchic the day before."

"Yeah," Lucy said, patting the Combusken on its head. "This is Vexyl. I know he looks like a mean one, but he can be almost-fun sometimes, too," she laughed as Vexyl cawed, mad at her for teasing him. She then looked back at me with that smile. "So, since I got Vex and Brendan got his Mudkip, does that mean you were stuck with a Treeko?" She said, looking at Clad. "Or perhaps one of the non-starters? That one looks like a beast," Clad snorted at her comment, my large Aggron finding it funny.

I smiled at him and ran a hand over his side. "This is Clad, and I actually got a Torchic. Birch said that he had had two, and I got a choice between all three starters. I wouldn't have minded if I had gotten Clad here as a starter, he's one of the oldest I have, and he's just like a little kid." At this comment Clad poked me playfully with one of his horns, and I draped my arm over his layed out form.

Lucy chuckled at me and I shot my tongue out at her, but she didn't notice.

"So now that we've gotten all of the serious, mind-numbing business out of the way," Lucy stated, pulling a Pokéball from her belt, "I want to see just what makes up your team. You've got to have some tough ones to have beaten Morgan, let alone Eric. Who exactly did they get to replace that crazy bitch at Lavaridge, anyway?" she asked, her voice laced heavily with curiosity.

"Who?" I asked. Caid had mentioned something about the leader there, and I knew it wasn't Flannery, but why such strong language on the subject? "I faced some guy named Cole in Lavaridge. He had two Slugmas, and I could tell he wasn't very experienced." Now that I truly thought about it, he hadn't even scored a hit on Blizz. "And," I said, smirking as I stood. "I accept that challenge, but don't cry when you lose!"

Lucy let out a small chuckle at my statement and lifted herself from the ground. Patting Vex on the head, she told her Pokémon, "You're gonna have to stay out this match, all right?" He seemed to frown, and I wondered why she wasn't using her starter. "Well, you lucked out at Lavaridge, I suppose. When I got there the woman who replaced Flannery turned out to be a psycho who was killing all of the Pokémon of her challengers. She-uh," she cleared her throat. "When I went to battle her, to tell her to stop and to make sure she was one of us, she wouldn't stop," she wouldn't make eye contact with me, and I knew this was hard for her. "We had to take them out," Vexyl crowed mournfully and Lucy turned back to me.

I gave her a sad smile. "You did what you had to. Cole may not be experienced, but at least he cares for his pokemon." I struggled out from under Clad's head and stood to face Lucy. I would let her throw her pokemon out first, so I could counter it better. If she was so confident, she must have a good team. I bowed with a flourish, my swords clinking behind me. "Challengers first!"

"Why thank you, kind sir!" Lucy said, keeping my banter going as she curtsied. "Let's see, who to use? I'd pick Vex, but he was hurt pretty badly at the last Gym," she explained, and I nodded in understanding. She tapped at her chin for a second before throwing a ball in the air and calling, "Go, Jesus! Let's show him what you've got."

"Kirr," the Kirlia trilled, sounding almost like a song. I saw the smirk that Lucy had plastered on her face and gave her one of my own.

_Psychic_ I rattled off mentally, _Weak to Dark, Ghost, and Bug. I may not have any of those, but I had the next best thing._

"C'mon, Edge!" I called, letting him out in a flash of light. "We'll pound that ballerina to the ground!"

"Skaaaar!" he called, flapping his great metal wings and swishing dust toward our opponent. Even though he couldn't get a super effective hit, he was resistant to anything that the small dancer could throw at us, he was only weak to fire and lightning, after all.

Lucy coughed, covering her mouth with a gloved hand, Jesus doing the same. She then spread her weight into a slightly more 'battle ready' position and smirked at me. I wondered, for a second, why she was smirking, but brushed away the thought.

"You won't be so confident in a minute," she told him, and I felt my stomach drop. "Jesus, Shockwave!"

"SHIT!" I yelled out as loud as I possibly could, startling the other side and gaining a second to think. I needed to divert the electricity somehow, but this attack never missed! The Kirlia across the field gathered up energy, the lightning crackling around her, then inspiration struck. "Edge, Steel Wing! Dig a trench!"

Even though I had never ordered anything similar, he caught on quick. Flapping into the air twice, he then used the attack, his wings glowing. This time, though, the attack wasn't a quick strike through the air. Instead, his wing dug into the ground as he sailed towards our opponent.

The impact sent a wave of earth before Edge and into Jesus. The wall of earth blocked my view, but I could tell that it was a surprising move. Edge followed the earth quickly, keeping one wing close to the ground to help against any electrical damage.

"Inventive little bastard," Lucy muttered, most likely to herself. I then frowned as I caught a glimpse of what was still held in the dainty creature's hands. "Brace yourself!"

"Kiiiii-irlia!" Jesus yelled, flinging out the frantic ball of electricity. The white and yellow mass blew up as it hit Edge, but I grinned as I saw him hit the ground lightly with his wingtip. He carried on and slammed into the psychic, the grip his wing had with the ground causing him to slam down instead of straight.

A giant cloud of dust formed, blades of grass drifting through the air. I held my breath as I waited for something to happen.

"Raaaaa!" Edge screamed out as he blasted up from the cloud, a trail of smoke following. I couldn't help but grin at the sight, glad that he hadn't been knocked out. I analyzed his form as he landed in front of me and was glad that there wasn't as much damage as there could have been. I guessed that at least half of the Shock Wave had been redirected into the ground, but he had still been damaged by the impact.

"You okay, Edge?" I called worriedly. Edge nodded, not taking his eyes off of the rapidly decreasing cloud of dust. Glad that he was able to keep going, I said, "If it's still up, go in with an air cutter, make sure it can't charge any more electricity."

"Jesus!" Lucy yelled out as Jesus tottered out of the cloud. I looked on, worried, as she picked the small creature up and cradled it. Surely Edge's hit wasn't that powerful.

"Irli, a?" she whispered out as I watched Lucy run a hand over its head.

"It's okay, you're done with," Lucy told her Pokémon. She produced a second Pokéball and a super potion. Tossing the ball, she called,"Jesus is down. I'm going with my Minun."

The small blue and yellow rodent burst onto the field, watching Lucy and Jesus worriedly. I was surprised at yet another electric Pokémon, but I put it down to my luck. I brought out Edge's ball and fingered it.

"Edge, come back for a rest, I want Clad to take this!" I called, letting the red beam consume my tired metal bird. "Clad, you're up." I watched as Lucy applied the potion to Jesus, and noting that she had finished I yelled, "Start with a Rollout!"

"My luck," Lucy grumbled before she called out a response, "Double up a Quick Attack with a Thunderwave, Minnow!"

The mouse nodded before disappearing, Clad starting his roll in the meantime. He appeared a few feet in front of Clad and let off a paralyzing blast. I bit my lip, hoping that he would be able to build up enough momentum to hit the speedy little thing. I was worried that he would freeze, but keep rolling and end up toppling a tree. Obviously they had used this tactic, or something similar to it before.

"Hey," Lucy yelled over. "Let's keep this a three on three battle, okay? We shouldn't weaken our Pokémon so early into a Route."

I looked at my belt and decided to choose my last one when it came to that. "Sure!" I yelled back, concentrating on the match. Minnow had been distracted by Lucy's shout and had partially turned his head. I grinned, knowing full well that this may be my only chance, "Turn to Iron Tail, Clad!"

He halted in his roll, standing to his full height as his tail began to glow. Minnow was frozen still at the sight, and all I could hope for was a direct hit and quick knockout.

"Minnow!" Lucy shouted, "Try to dodge out of the way!"

"Mi – " he leaped, but it was too late. I watched as the small, yet agile creature flew across the field and landed against a tree feet first. It seemed to pause there for a second, but then launched from the trunk and back into the action. I noticed a slight limp in the fore paw, but t was otherwise fine. I grimaced, having hoped that the attack would have done more damage.

"All right, Minnow, let's not let that happen again, Encore!" Minnow stopped and looked back at Lucy. "Trust me, all right?" He turned back to the battle and seemed to shrug. I, myself, wondered what was up. Iron Tail was currently Clad's strongest attack, and if he placed one more, would probably be the end of Minnow.

The small mouse clapped its hands together, a cute little grin on its face. I knew the move would make Clad repeat Iron Tail for five more times, but i was shocked to see that he relaxed. Clad /never/ relaxed in a battle. Never! His eyes seemed to be trained on the small mouse and I let out a sigh, at least he would start attacking.

Again Clad's tail lit up and he started to move. This time, unfortunately, he stopped as small sparks raced over his body. I groaned and smacked a hand to my head. Then, remembering my trip to Lavaridge I reached into my pack. I quickly grabbed one of the burnt cookies and turned to the field, ready to rush in.

"Spark!"

"Mi-mi-mi-mi," Minnow chanted, sparks surrounding his body as he rushed toward Clad. He leapt into the air and landed the powerful jolt, electrical crackles racing all over the place.

"Aaaaagraa..." Clad moaned as he fell forward, out of energy.

"Clad!" I yelled, rushing forward. He was definitely down for the count. I sat next to his head and ran my hand over his horn, eliciting a small, comforted groan. I placed the cookie in his mouth and he swallowed it, getting rid of the paralysis. "It's okay." I whispered, continually running my hands over his armored face.

I took my pack and reached in, pulling out a super potion. I applied it quickly, humming to Clad and getting his deep, soothing hum in return. I smiled and returned him to his ball, standing on my stiffening legs.

"He all right?" Lucy asked.

I grinned and replied, "Yeah, he was still a little tired from our battle with Eric, and then hauling me across the water. All he needs is some rest..." I reached down and ran a hand across my belt, feeling the Pokéballs against my hand. "We gonna keep going, or will you accept a forfeit?"

I looked up and noticed that Vexyl had jumped forward, surprised by my question. I just grinned and waited for Lucy to respond.

"Pft," she scoffed, "Lucia Spalding doesn't forfeit." She had an arrogant look on her face, then broke into laughter. "We'll keep going if you keep going. Not – " she turned to Vex, a hand on her hip and waving a threatening finger in front of his beady, black eyes, "that Vexyl here will be helping."

"Combus – " he protested, fluffing his feathers and crossing his arms.

"Quit pouting," Lucy told him. "Only six year old girls who didn't get that Barbie they wanted pout. Suck it up, be a…" she paused, tilted her head, and continued, "Poké-Man."

I burst out laughing, tears running from my eyes. I fell on my butt, but continued to laugh, Lucy joining in. I gasped out for breath, saying "Too funny!"

Finally getting myself under control, I looked back at Lucy. "I think you misunderstood. I meant, would you accept a forfeit from me." I paused for a second, standing back up and smiling. "When you meet the rest of my team, you'll understand, Minnow there packs a punch!"

"Yeah," she agreed, grinning. "It's funny how my smallest Pokémon are my strongest, too. Copper, for example – my Gyarados, is my weakest and she's massive." she stopped for a second, then nodded. "Of course I'll accept a forfeit, though I am curious to meet this team of yours."

"Thanks." I grinned and started letting out my Pokémon, Ket first, "This Swellow is Ket, she has to be one of the toughest Pokémon out there, because she can take anything and keep going, or at least take you down with her." I then released Edge, Clad, and Blizzard and pointed to them in turn. "You met Edge earlier, he can be a showoff at times, but is able to walk the talk. You met Clad too, he's just a little kid." Clad grunted at this. "And this giant Gyrados is Blizzard, she is the gentlest thing ever, though."

I looked at the four and they looked back to me, both Clad and Edge slightly weak from the battle. I then turned back to Lucy and gave a sad smile, not exactly meeting her eyes. "I'll introduce you to Volk after I meet your team."

"Well, obviously you've met Minnow, my Minun," she said, gesturing to the Pokémon who'd climbed up to her shoulder, "And Vex, the Combusken." Vexyl cawed loudly,and pulled out three more Pokéballs. "Then there's Jesus, my Kirlia, of course, Next is Gabriel, my Sableye – "

"Saaaa," he hissed, sliding himself as close as possible to Lucy's leg. I grinned at the little thing.

"Then Roxie, the Oddish," the blue plant hopped over to Clad and Minnow jumped down to intercept her. I laughed a little, knowing that Clad would be fine with playing, "And, finally, Copper, my Gyarados."

"Gyaaaa!" she roared as she emerged from her ball. Between her and Blizzard there was a tight knit type feeling. It made me feel... well... home, if that's the right word.

Lucy nodded to the side, probably making sure that everyone was accounted for. "Huh, never realized I had seven on me…" she murmured.

"You can carry seven?" I asked, doing a quick count to find that she indeed did have seven.

I lifted my left hand and rubbed against the two balls, wondering what it would have been like if everyone was here, alive and not stolen. Standing straighter, I then lifted Volk's ball and called, "I'm here Volk."

It helped his appearance this time, as he was able to locate me based on sound. He stood on his left leg, the other ending in a stump at the knee. I looked over him and noted that the bandages around his waist needed changing, as the blood had started to seep through again. I gently helped him to sit on the ground, though he was still quite tall.

"This is Volk," I said, rummaging through my pack for the fresh bandages. Then I started to explain, unbidden. "It was a trainer who was skilled with a blade. We had just beaten him and he told me that i had not had enough sadness. He attacked Volk, and when I tried to fight him with my swords, he easily overcame me." I had found the bandages and began to apply them, the old ones having been removed. "I've trained since then."

Standing, I stretched my back, viewing my handiwork. Suddenly my leg spasmed and I fell, clutching it. Volk grabbed my pack and quickly got the rub, applying it to the back of my leg after I'd lifted the pant leg.

"We're a pair, aren't we." I stated, grinning up at Lucy.

"Certainly unusual," Lucy agreed, a hint of horror in her voice. She and Vex walked over. "Hi, Volk," she greeted my blind and wounded Pokémon. "I'm Lucy," She held her hand out as if she wanted to ruffle his feathers, and I grinned

"Combus, bus-busken?" Vexyl said. Lucy turned and shrugged at him, the turned back to me.

"What was the trainer's name? I need to do something about him – contact the Leaders, see what we can do. This is wrong." All of the smaller Pokémon gathered round, Jesus wrapping her arms around Lucy while Vex clenched his fists. "Please, let me do something," she begged, making sure I didn't break eye contact.

"I don't know what they could do." I said truthfully. "His name is Caid, but he said he was a league official. I don't know if the Leaders could get him." I leaned into Volk and he wrapped an arm around me, comforting. "The only reason I ran into him was that he was the one assigning a new Leader for Lavaridge."

Lucy knit her eyebrows together before nodding determinedly. She reached out a hand, and I took it, allowing her to pull me up. "You don't know the Leaders as well as I do. Trust me, I know at least one that will do whatever he can for us." She then returned all but Vex. "You know Morgan of Mauville, I assume. His story is different than mine and different than yours. He's been here far longer than either of us. You probably would have been an embryo at the time if your age reduction still applied."

I stuck my tongue out at her, then returned all of my Pokémon except for Volk. Helping him to stand and put his weight on my shoulder as we got ready to move.

"I lost Peck in Mauville, but it was my fault," I said, playing with the almost charm type bracelet that held the two grayed out balls. "I was just so worried that I threw the first ball I grabbed... Um... Not to change the subject, but your pretty lucky to have seven with you, and two of them rare, at that!"

I then leaned into Volk so that he would know I was getting ready to move.

We began to walk toward the Bike Underpass, and I saw Lucy eyeing the tall grass.

"Yes, well," she coughed. "Jesus was a lucky find, I'll admit but… well, I sort of broke the rules with Gabe." Lucy continued, waving her hands lazily through the air. "I was in Dewford Cave, looking for Stephen – the plot line of the game still applies for me, I don't know if it's the same with you," she shrugged. "At any rate, I climbed down to the lower level and tripped over an Aron. I battled it, but I suppose Vex's Ember frightened the thing and it ran away before I could grab a Pokéball. Next thing I know I've got a Sableye an inch away from my face and my heart is about to give out. Gabe likes to think himself a trickster. I really couldn't resist capturing him; call it a… guilty pleasure, I suppose."

I smirked. "I haven't broken the rules, but I can agree that a Sableye is definitely worth the risk. They are able to learn some strong moves, are not weak to anything, and they look awesome!" Volk patted my head and I turned to him sheepishly. "Not that you aren't awesome, of course." Then I turned back to Lucy and asked, "Do you even know the punishment?"

Lucy shrugged. "Not a clue but I'm not… terribly nervous about it, at least. I've gotten called out on it on several occasions, one of which was Morgan. He said he'd vouch for me and I hope it'll be enough." She gave him a sly look out of the corner of her eye. "So… you were never tempted to break the rules? Not once? C'mon, you can tell ol' Lucy…" She poked me in the shoulder as we walked under the Underpass.

Behind us I heard Vex make the all too familiar sound of a fire attack and grinned.

"Well... It wasn't that this Pokémon is rare or anything..." I said trailing off, "But I did have my heart set on catching a Zigzagoon at the start. Unfortunately, I never really ran into one, and it kind of wore off. Now I'd be tempted to catch another flying type." Then I looked to Lucy, who had walked a little ahead. "Do you think he would vouch for me if I found a Tropius?"

I looked up and thought about the flying grass type. They were big, but not as large as Blizz, and they were modeled after dinosaurs. I tried imagine flying on the back of one, but couldn't quite picture it, having only seen them on a game screen.

"Hm, good question," she said, tapping her chin. "If we asked him in the right way, probably. He's not cold hearted, despite what you may think of him. I understand that you lost one of yours to him – and I have too – but you have to understand he's not doing it to be malicious. He's trying to prove a point; at least, he was with me," Lucy informed me.

I wondered about this, knowing that it was completely my fault that Peck had died, but I would leave that topic where it stood. I had learned from it after all, but I had learned more from Caid's anger.

"So, a Tropius? That'd make three flying types on your team. Going for something there?"

"Heh, kinda," I admitted, noticing that Lucy was yet further ahead and Vex was now walking very near me. "I guess I got attached to them, and it would actually make four." I gave a sly grin, then continued. "Could we slow down a little, its a bit hard to keep up the fast pace."

"Blai, ziken." Volk said mournfully, knowing that it was because of him. I ran my hand over the one he had on my left shoulder in a 'Its okay' gesture.

"Oh, right, sorry," Lucy said, slowing down. "I'm usually by myself and I've always been sort of a brisk walker, growing up in the city will do that to a person," she shrugged and hesitated before speaking again. "So… Peck? They would be your fourth bird type, had they survived? You'd have made a great bird trainer. What Pokémon are you hoping for here on out? Other than a Tropius, of course,"

I looked down at the little grayed out ball and said, "No, if Peck were still alive, he would've made five if I also had a Tropius. I'd actually like to be a bird trainer, and I think the flying type your confusing yourself on is Blizz. Other than a Tropius, though..." I trailed off. "I don't know if I could catch another Wingull, but I might like a Kecleon. I know it's not a bird, but its _sometimes_ a flying type!" I grinned up at Lucy as she fell back to our pace.

"But, wait, so Gyarados are flying types, right? I can't remember… can they learn Fly? I mean, you'd think they'd be able to, but I'd like to know if I should be on the lookout for a flying type," Lucy told me. "Huh, are there even flying types in Route 119?" she gave me a look. "We may just be in competition for a Tropius, friend, and I never back down from a challenge," Lucy finished, smirking.

"Yes, they are part flying. No, they cannot learn Fly. Yes, there are other flying types on Route 119." I rattled off, answering all of her questions. "There are also Wingull and Pelipper over there. There are even some on the next few Routes afterward, and they're all over the sea." I stopped to think for a second. "So, does this mean we're going to be traveling together?"

"Hm, dunno. Our end goal is the same, but the roads that lead us there may differ. And, don't get me wrong – you're great and all," she said, waving her hands to show she didn't mean anything negative, "but I think I'd really like to finish this journey with my Pokémon. Keep connected, you know? I started it with them and I want to go the rest of the way with them. Does that make sense?"

"Yeah," I said, smiling. "I would probably just slow you down, and I may have something else to do after we speak with Morgan, but we are definitely headed to the same place. I get it though, so don't worry. And we are definitely having the competition for that Tropius, don't think you can get out that easily!"

I waited for a second, then a thought hit me. "Hey, you said you were following the main line in the game, right?"

Lucy nodded. "Yep, so far almost everything's been the same, though it seems like a mixture of all three games rather than just the Sapphire I played. The only real difference was back at Meteor Falls," she narrowed her eyes and looked at me. "That was you, wasn't it?"

I grinned sheepishly and raised my hand. "Guilty." Clouds scuttled by and covered us in shadow for a second. "But... Archie was... Nice." I said, trying to think of the right words to describe it. "He talked with me, and it made me feel like this was real for the first time. Every other person I saw either wanted a battle or shoved something at me... Or hurt me." I trailed off.

"You've obviously not been talking to the right people," she told him. "There are some people here – like my 'mother,'" Lucy made air quotes, "and others that react solely with me – that are superiorly strange; a part of me wonders if they were just created to guide us along the right path. But then there are people, trainers and shop owners and nice old grandparents, who only want to help or talk to you. There is no way that they're fake. They go through the same emotions as us – excitement and curiosity and depression. And, as much as the gamer in me loathes to say it, Archie and Maxie are in the same category. They're not evil just... misguided. They think that they're doing the right thing for the world and everyone in it but they just can't see past their obsession."

"Even so, I guess I just stopped trying after my 'family'," now my turn to use air quotes, "And just left people alone. Wally talked to me for a bit and he seemed friendly, but his aunt and uncle creeped me out. I never really talked to the shop keepers," then, thinking back to Lavaridge, "I NEVER want to talk to the nurses again!"

I glanced up to Volk, who couldn't see it, and gave a sad smile. "Caid had real emotions," Volk grumbled at this, "Just not the kind I wanted to see."

"You should try talking to trainers," she recommended. "They're great company when you need humans to talk to – " Vex shot an ember at her and she yelped, running, while I held in my laugh. "Anyway… other trainers are, in general, good people who just want to help when they can and battle when they want. Oh, and bartering is always a plus," she smirked. "I've got to say, I've fallen in love with TMs here."

"I really was only in Fallarbor for a long time, when my legs got broken, and I got really tired of listening to the coordinators yelling back and forth, arguing about moves." I sighed and looked up again, which I noticed was becoming a habit. "I wish they hadn't taken Thorn..." I murmured in a low voice, not really intending Lucy to hear.

"You broke your legs?" She asked, confusion in her voice. I realized that it was most likely the fact that my legs had healed in a phenomenal amount of time, due to the Chanseys. "And… Thorn?"

I winced then let out a sigh. I had brought this upon myself and decided to be completely honest. "It all happened at the same time, my legs and Thorn. I was making to leave Fallarbor to go to the summit of Mt. Chimney. I was attacked from behind, a Pokémon burning my legs then tackling them so hard they broke. I woke up two days later at the Pokémon center and found out that Thorn, my Electrike, was stolen. It was one of the reasons I made the swords, the other being a Spinda with the PokeRabies. My legs healed very quickly because I was forced to eat plates full of scrambled Chansey eggs."

"I take it back," Lucy said with anger. "Team Magma may just be evil after all." She then stormed off towards Mauville, Vex at her heels.

I grinned at my defender and picked up the pace, Volk limping beside me.

Ch14

…

We walked to the Muaville Gym and I stared up at the simplistic front that it put up. I had never imagined myself coming back to the building. Here I was.

"Morgan, I'm home! You've got some 'splainin' to do!" Lucy called out as we entered.

The main room was empty and had the same painted out lines covering the wood floor as last time. Lucy nodded to the bleachers and I turned to help Volk over. I set him down and frowned. The slight increase in our speed on the Route had caused a little more bleeding. I heard Lucy knock on a door across the Gym, but paid no mind.

"Volk, would you like to be rid of the eye bandages?" I asked, noting that I hadn't truly needed to change them since him getting out of the Center in Lavaridge.

"Blai." he stated, nodding his head in an affirmative. I reached behind his head and undid the knots, wrapping the bandages into a wad. I then removed the slightly bloodied bandages and applied the ones i still held, trusting that they were clean enough after only a few hours.

"There, that's better now. Isn't it?" Volk nodded and I again took in the thin slash that crossed his face, leaving the lids, yet hitting the eyes. He must have had his eyes open when the blade struck. I sat next to him and leaned into his side, getting an arm wrapped around me.

"So we meet again," Morgan said, startling me, as I had not seen him approach. He offered me a hand and I shook it, switching the bloodied bandages to my other hand before doing so. He seemed to take in everything and his face was stern, as it had been on my previous encounter.

"My name is Tiran," I said, "I know I didn't introduce myself last time..." I looked back to Volk, Morgan finally releasing my hand so I could lean against him again. "This is Volk."

"What… peculiar names," the Gym Leader responded. "Especially for your Pokémon; you and Lucy are really the only two trainers I've met who name their Pokémon. Is he one of us too?" Morgan assumed.

"Yeah," Lucy agreed. "Tir and I came to the conclusion that he was probably supposed to be the one in Brendan's place."

I looked up after Lucy's comment and tried to give a winning smile. "My name isn't really Tiran," I explained, "And I never actually nicknamed in the games, but I thought it would be better too here, give special consideration and attention to define my Pokémon as original." Volk reached up and patted me on the head again, but he couldn't see the smile I gave him.

"Your name isn't Tiran?" Lucy asked, confusion lacing her voice. "I… don't get it."

"Agreed," Morgan said, knitting his brows together. "You introduced yourself as such, to both myself and the others, I can only assume."

"Um..." I said sheepishly. "That's the name I put in the game, I cant remember my real name..." I trailed off, thinking back. In the start I had remembered having a friend, had even named him, but now everything was a blur. I had no memory left but for what had happened here.

"Oh," Lucy said, seeing shocked.

"I see," Morgan said. He sat next to me and and Lucy took a place higher in the bleachers.

"Whoa, we get Brendan here and we could form a rock group: Lucy and the Whitettes," Lucy chuckled. I couldn't help but crack a smirk while I looked at the floor. It was weird how much I had missed talking to other people.

"That was a pretty good one, but didn't we come here for... more serious stuff?" I questioned, still not looking up from the floor, but my smile in my voice. It had also been a long time since I had felt this happy.

"Yeah, we did. Morgan, if I were to tell you that there was a League Official going around and brutally injuring trainer's Pokémon, what would you say?" Lucy asked. I could feel both of their eyes slide past me to Volk.

"I would say what you are thinking, Lucy. I would say what should be said and plan what needs to be planned and do what needs to be done," he told us, his voice holding an energy I hadn't heard from the man before. It was amazing that his tone and attitude could turn so much. "But first, I need a name."

"...Caid. His name is Caid." I leaned further into Volk and shivered, reliving that battle. We had won, yet it didn't matter. I had beat him without a single casualty, but nothing could stop him. The blade had first stabbed through Volk, then taken his leg and eyes. I had tried so hard to stop him, putting all of my strength behind the blows. I had poured my rage and anger into the swings, and yet, he had easily swiped them aside, he had taken my to my knees so fast that it was as if I had never had the weapons in the first place.

Sadness... He said I hadn't had enough sadness. That losing Poochy to poisoning, and Peck to a blast of all mighty electricity hadn't caused pain. Suffering. That I hadn't mourned the theft of Thorn. That I didn't deserve to put a happy face on for my Pokémon. I wasn't allowed to give them hope when I had none.

"Caid Flannery?" Morgan's sharp voice snapped me out of my memories and I looked up at him. He was staring at me, his purple eyes intense. I felt like backing into Volk, wanting to get away, but I held still.

"Flannery? Like the original Gym Leader?" Lucy asked. I glanced up to her, than back to Morgan. Lucy was confused, her face conveying the emotion for all to see, but Morgan... He was intense. It scared me how much pressure he could put into a stare.

"I d-don't know," I stammered out. Then, game memory struck. "He had red hair at the roots! Like he'd forgotten to dye his hair!" I finally gave in and pressed myself back into Volk, taking comfort as he wrapped his arms around me. I looked up and shivered again at the sight of the scar across his eyes. I wonder if Lucy had even noticed the bandages across his face were off.

"Morgan, calm down, please? Look what you're doing to Tiran," Lucy was talking about me, but I tried not to listen in. Volk was comforting me and doing a very good job at it. I noticed for the first time that it wasn't only my memories, but my mannerisms that were being lost. I had been scared - truly scared - by Morgan's glare. It was as if I was a little kid watching an R-rated scary movie.

"I'm going to make us some tea, all right? Just… just breathe for a minute," I looked up and saw Lucy walking away. As much as I hated to admit it, I had attached myself to her. She was able to make me smile with her humor, calm me with her words. She was like an older sister, and for the first time I wondered what she had left behind. I had spent all this time telling her about myself - or lack there-of - and had asked nothing of her, or who she was.

After Lucy had moved into the other room it was silent. I looked to the floor, then up to Moegan. He was sitting straight in the bench, burning holes into the wall with his stare. His gaze was intense, but I knew I had to interrupt. It was important.

"Morgan?" he continued staring at the wall, giving no indication he had heard. "Is there a prosthetic company here? Or maybe some-one who does it on the side? I want to get Volk a new leg." Volk tightened his arms around me in a hug, letting me know that he liked the idea, and let a warm breath out into my hair.

"I'm not sure about a true prosthetic," Morgan finally replied after a bit of thought. "But your best bet would be in Fortree City. Their market is based on wood working and tourism, I'm sure you could find someone to special make something to fit your needs," he told me. "I hope this helps."

I grinned at him, his glaring and anger having abated a little. "Yes, it does." I hugged Volk's arms to me and relaxed, finally. "Won't it be nice to walk again, Volk?"

"Zi, Blai-ai zi ne." he agreed, sounding wistful, but supporting my childlike demeanor. I was glad that he was accepting this, since it seemed it was what I was becoming. Not that it was bad or anything.

"Oh, good, you're both still alive," Lucy said, walking back into the Gym with a giant plate that had a tea kettle and cups on it. "Blood is such a nasty stain to get out of nice wood floors," I chuckled, happy that she was back. She handed Morgan a cup of tea, then one to me. "Drink. Now," Lucy commanded.

I sipped at the tea, enjoying the warmth if not the taste. I spooned a little sugar in then took another sip. Much better.

"This is... nice?" I half stated, half questioned. The routine seemed familiar, but I couldn't place why. I took another sip and decided. "Yes. It is nice." I closed my eyes and hummed lightly, a half remembered tune. Volk joined in, his voice slightly deeper and resonating. It was the song that Clad hummed, haunting yet melodic, sending nice shivers down my spine.

"Morgan, who, exactly, is Caid Flannery? And what did he do to you?" I kept humming as I listened, enjoying the haunted tune.

"Caid Flannery is indeed related to your supposed original Gym Leader. The Leader I knew was Moore – a great fire trainer who retired a few weeks ago. He gave his position up to his granddaughter, Adriane. Once upon a time, though, Adriane Flannery was not to be the new Leader, she had a younger brother, Caid. Moore told me about the siblings battling spirits, how talented they were. He'd decided that the younger of the two – Caid – would be the next Leader. He had a steady head on his shoulders and a fierce protectiveness for his sister. One day, though, he disappeared."

"Into thin air?" Lucy asked. "No word, no nothing?"

"No, that isn't quite what I mean," he amended. "To the common people of the nation of Hoenn, Moore had announced his resignation and how he would, one day, hand off his title to his grandchild. He confided in only me and his family that it would be the son, not the daughter. So when the boy disappeared no one took notice but us. At the time," he said, weary, "I had still been making my way through the regions, collecting myself. I'd met Moore in Kanto and we kept in touch. After that was when I'd come to Hoenn, so that I could be there for the only true friend I'd made. That's also when the League started tracking me down. They'd sent a new recruit – a black haired boy who thought he knew best."

"Sounds like Caid, when I first met him he tried to tell me stuff I already knew, like he was doing me a great favor." My voice was whispery as I kept the tune of the song, continuing to hum after I had finished speaking.

"So you two are saying that Caid left his family because he – what, he didn't want the responsibility? Gave it up for his sister? Was afraid?" Lucy asked, trying to get a reason that fit.

"I'm thinking it was the second of the three," Morgan told us. "Moore always told me about how he protected her and looked out for her, though he was the younger of the two. Her obvious enthusiasm for the Leadership was always known, but not once did I hear about Caid's ambitions. At any rate, when I met him, he was no longer the young, enthusiastic trainer his grandfather told me about. The man I met was fierce, cold, and determined to follow his lead. He wouldn't take no for an answer."

I watched as Lucy thought of something, her face turning into a frown. I lead the music to the lighter part of the song and started humming the lighter parts. Morgan glanced at me for a second and I thought I caught a smile, but it was gone in a second.

"I don't get it," Lucy murmured, still in thought. "I still just don't get it." Morgan had returned his gaze to Lucy, though I noted that it was more of a caring look than what he gave me. They were probably friends and I, the outsider. "We," Lucy gestured between us, as if hearing my thoughts of being an outsider, "and Eric figured out that our 'situation' probably has something to do with the Legendaries – and quite possibly the League themselves," Morgan nodded to this, a look of contemplation on his face.

I continued the happy hum for a second as a moment of silence took us. If he were part of the League, and they knew what was going to happen... I stopped humming and sat up, catching the other's attention.

"What if he knew, and tried to save her? You said that he always protected her, so he tried to save her from disappearing... Which means that we did take the place of real people..." I trailed off sadly, returning to humming the haunting melody, a frown plastered to my face.

I had stolen this from someone. This life and this world. He was the one that was going to become a trainer. I was living his life.

My resolve thickened at that. I _was_ living his life. I wouldn't waste it by thinking of things that could not be changed.

"Maybe, you might've taken someone's place, Tir, but then again you might not have," Lucy told me, raising a hand before I could protest. "Think about it – you were obviously supposed to be the Brendan of the game, right? Well that didn't happen and so you were shoved into another role. You could've taken someone's place, sure, but if the Legendaries are behind this – as we think they are – then perhaps they just made a spot for you, last minute, since Brendan's had been taken?"

She was right. I had been meant for Brendan's place. And when I had gone home, there was no one there. It was deserted, like it had never been lived in. At least not for years. Which implied that what I woke up to that first morning was an illusion.

"At any rate," Morgan said, bringing the subject back around. "Tiran might be correct on why Flannery left his family. He very well may have done it to give her the Leadership and gone and joined up with the League. And if the League knows about our situations, as we think they do, then perhaps he wanted to save his sister the injustice of being replaced?"

Lucy groaned and leaned forward, elbows resting on knees. "All of this is so damned subjective, it's giving me a headache."

"But, turning back to us replacing people from this world." I said, trying to gather the attention of both. "Have either of you gone home since the start? When I stopped at the house I woke up in, it was deserted. It looked as if no one had been there for years, but I didn't think much of it at the time."

"No," Lucy said, "No, I haven't. I swung by the Lab but I didn't even think to stop by the house; Mrs. Maple kind of freaked me out the first time around."

"I, too, have never returned to the house in New Bark Town," Morgan informed us. "I never even journeyed through the rest of Johto; merely boarded a ship headed for Kanto and never looked back," he shrugged, unconcerned.

"What are you thinking, Tir?" Lucy asked.

"It's..." I trailed off, trying to think of what I was thinking of. "Maybe the places we took. Maybe they were more memories then real. Like solidifying ghosts, they are already dead and went through it, so they only respond in set ways, unlike everyone else. Perhaps they were solidified to guide us in the start, and to give memories of them to the others in towns, but faded once we were past needing them." I paused at this, letting it sink in for a second. "What if the main characters already lived and we took on a memory of their places, only offsetting a dead presence?"

"Like a guideline," Lucy agreed, nodding enthusiastically. "Maybe the Legendaries didn't create the people who started us out but recreated the people we met."

"Perhaps," Morgan said, seeming to talk to himself. "Perhaps this has happened before." He looked up at us, as if realizing he'd spoken aloud. "After all, I was sent to Johto for supposedly the same reasons you were sent here," he gestured to us. "And that was ten years ago. The world goes through so many changes all the time – maybe the Legendaries have seen what would happen should they not interfere and, lacking anyone suitable in this world, took us from ours. They knew their world would be thrust headlong into chaos had they not done something – they'd seen the theory proved before, in the past – and decided to do something. In my time, I was not enough, and they learned from that," he paused and rubbed his hands together, lost in thought, before turning back to us. "That must be how the League knows."

"They've seen it before," Lucy marveled. "They know."

"Whoa... It's like the whole 'save the cheerleader, save the world' thing." I then paused for a second. "Why the _heck_ would I remember that?"

Lucy blinked at me. "… isn't that song or something? I don't understand," she shook her head.

"Um... what?" I said, confused. "It's the idea behind Heroes, a show, that the world would end unless they could save the cheerleader. It was predicted by a guy who could paint the future." I was still confused how this all worked, but shouldn't I remember my name over some TV show I watched?

"Oh, so, the only way to save the world was to save the cheerleader in the process?" Lucy concluded. "…so the League are the people who saw what the future would be – from what they knew of the past - and so they brought us in as the only way to save it; if we stop Groudon and Kyogre then we save the world. I get it I just can't seem to articulate it, y'know?"

"Um, yeah, like that. Now I'm starting to get a headache from all this thinking." I finished my cup of tea and set it on the tray. I leaned back into Volk and started humming again, Volk having done so through the conversation. I closed my eyes and lost myself in the tune.

"I don't think we are going to get anywhere further," he told us. "I think we can all reasonably agree that, with the information we have, our conclusions are as sound as they can be."

"Your lawyer-speak is giving me a headache." Lucy stated, and I smiled.

I opened my eyes again in time to see Morgan ruffling Lucy's hair.

"Hey!" she said, slapping at his hand. "It's bad enough what with the wind and bugs and Vex throwing embers at me, don't need you adding on too."

Morgan chuckled deeply before smiling at both of us. He seemed happy, and although his gaze was on me, it didn't change from when he had looked to Lucy.

"Come," he gestured to us, standing. "I'm sure you've had a long walk and you all could use a rest." I stood and helped Volk up. Today was going good.

I walked into the kitchen, yawning. Morgan stood at the stove, cooking something that smelled like pancakes. My stomach gurgled, as did Volk's.

"You're awake." Morgan said simply. "Sit."

I followed the command, helping Volk to a chair first. I yawned again and checked Volk's bandages, happily surprised that they were not bloody. Morgan walked over and sat a plate in front of each of us, steaming pancakes resting on top.

"I have already fed your other Pokémon." He explained, before walking back to the stove.

"Thanks!" He didn't turn or reply, but I expected that after the last night.

I poured syrup on both plates and helped Volk to eat. I took his hand and would stab the pancakes with his fork, then let him raise them to his own mouth, being somewhat self sustained. A few times the pancakes fell into his lap, making him jump in surprise, but I cleaned it up every time.

I bit into my first pancake after he was done and leaning against me and humming again. They were delicious, even slightly cold, and I wished I could eat this good of food every day.

"Mmm," Lucy hummed as she entered the kitchen. "Smells tasty."

"They are!" I said, having just swallowed my last bite and taking my next.

"No fair, you fed him first!" Lucy pouted playfully.

"Well he is my favorite," Morgan informed us, surprising me with the serious tone.

"You know," Lucy said, looking at him. "You should perm your hair; that way the apron I get you will complete the whole House-Wife look your going for."

"Oh, ha ha," he said sarcastically. I looked back down at my pancakes and took another bite.

"Mmmm," Lucy hummed happily. "Delicious." I heard her gulp down the coffee that was right in front of her. "It's decided. I'm giving up training."

I coughed into the glass of orange juice - coffee not holding any appeal to me - and felt as Volk patted me on the back, helping me get the liquid out of my lungs. I sat back and tried to get my breath back as I could feel liquid still tickling my windpipe.

"Are you okay?" Lucy asked.

"Yeah," I coughed out, "I used to do that all the time." I explained. I then took another drink of the orange juice. "How can there be orange juice here?"

"It's not orange juice," Morgan replied. "It's Qualot Juice," he informed us. "It's made from a berry; there are no oranges in Hoenn though they do tend to grow in Kanto."

"Wouldn't it grow in Johto, too, then?" I asked, as the two regions were actually touching.

"Oddly enough, no," Morgan shook his head, sipping his own Qualot Juice. "The soil of Johto isn't acidic enough for most berries, though Oran berries do enjoy the climate," he shrugged. "Nature is a fickle thing, I've found, so I try not to question it too much."

"Huh... Well, maybe I'll try and grow some there. You know, when this is all over." I said, shrugging. "So what happens next? I know I want to head to Fortree right away." Then I realized I had forgotten something, "Oh! Um... Morgan?"

"Yes?" Morgan asked, raising an eyebrow. My shyness finally presented itself and I stared at the floor, my face reddening.

"Lucy told me you would vouch for her and Gabe. Would you do the same for me if I could find a Tropius?" I continued staring at the floor, shaking slightly and face numb, my nerves pounding and mind screaming that he would never agree.

"Of course," Morgan said kindly.

"See, told you he would."

I looked back up and smiled, the sick feeling fading from my stomach, though I was still shaking a little.

"Thanks." I said, smiling first to Morgan than Lucy.

"Of course," Morgan said. "The both of you should feel free to do what you think must be done; I understand the League's decision on why other trainers should limit themselves, and you should too, but if you think a Tropius would help, then by all means capture one. Just, remember not to flaunt them, yes?"

"Eh heh, eh…" Lucy chuckled nervously. "I suppose that remark was for Jesus and Gabe, then?"

"Think what you will," Morgan replied, both of them turning back to their food.

I sat for the rest of the meal, sipping at the Qualot juice and enjoying the comfortable silence. After listening to the clattering of silverware, I finally stood and walked back to the living room. Volk helped me pack, Lucy coming in to pack her things too.

She would be headed to the power generator today. Although they had thought I wasn't listening at the time, I had heard them discuss it. Call it a skill gained from a life time of being in the back ground. As we stood, packs ready, Morgan walked up to us.

"Lucy?" Morgan tapped Lucy on her shoulder, snapping her little thought bubbles.

I went back to gathering the last of my belongings, keeping an ear open for anything important.

"Oh! I don't think I got your PokéNav number last time…" I looked up at her exclamation and watched as the stuck their PokéNav's together. The machines beeped after a moment and I was left wondering. "Gonna need yours too, Tir."

"My what?" I asked, pulling out my own copper plated PokéNav. I still had no idea what she would want from the little navigating device.

"Huh, weird, it should just register…" Lucy muttered. "Can I see this?" she poked my Nav.

"Sure." I said, handing it over.

Lucy chuckled. "Yeah, that's it. Here, just plug you end into mine and it should…" we clicked them together and the devices pinged again. I read that a 'Lucy Maple' had been added to my phone, then walked over and repeated the process with Morgan - 'Morgan Arnett' appearing on my phone - and then walked to the door into the Gym.

"Well, I'm ready to head out!" I said in false cheer as Volk began leaning on me again. Truthfully I wasn't ready to leave this nice section of the world, but I knew I had to. There was nothing that I wanted more than to stay with these two people that had been so nice to me.

"Me too," Lucy agreed, throwing her pack across her shoulders. We walked through the Gym and into the bright sun. A breeze ran across my back and sent a chill down my spine, cool in comparison to the Gym. Lucy turned to me and we grinned at each other. She reached out and ruffled my hair, "Good luck, runt," she teased.

"See ya round, big sis." I said, wrapping my arms around her in a quick hug. I then turned and walked toward Route 118, Volk by my side.

The water was chilly this early in the day, Hoenn's warm temperament not yet affecting the cold ocean spray. Clad swum steadily, going over the Route 118 waterway. The sun beat down on us, warming the spray chilled skin. The sky was clear, but to the north I could see rain clouds.

Above I watched the Wingulls fly, knowing that even if one came down I wouldn't catch it. I had no desire to catch another. I felt the water lap around my ankles, my legs having slipped down a little, and pulled back up. It felt as if something was clinging to my leg, so I shook it, trying to dislodge the item. Whatever it was tightened instead of falling off, so I reached down still gazing at the sky.

A slimy tentacle met my fingers and I jumped, not having expected anything more than seaweed. The Tentacool stared up at me with its half covered eyes and all I could do was stare down at it in shock.

"Get off!" I yelled, shaking my leg.

"Cooool." it said calmly, wrapping around my leg tighter.

Finally I shook it loose, gasping for breath and making my heart slow down. Clad touched land and I jumped onto the beach, wiping my hands against my sides, trying to erase the feeling of a Tentacool from my memory.

"Gron?"

"A Tentacool wrapped around my leg, Clad. Return." The red beam struck Clad and sucked him in as I released Volk again. I was pleased to see that he had no blood on the bandages and started toward Route 119.

"You think we will see a Tropius first?" I asked into the air, used to talking to Lucy after less than a day. I decided that I would make a habit of it, and talked to myself some more. "I wonder what I'll name a Tropius, and what fruit it will have on its neck. I wonder if it actually ripens twice a year..."

"Blai, zi kene zizi." Volk said, breaking me out of my reprieve.

Ahead there was the tall grass of the route, and I watched as a few battles took place inside of them. As I approached a Linoone raced out of the grass, spotted me, then ran back in. I sighed in defeat. I had been hoping that I wouldn't have to rely on Morgan for a Tropius, maybe being lucky enough to run into one as my first of the Route, but it hadn't happened like that.

I walked through the tall grass, not encountering a single person or Pokémon. The clearing behind it was largely open but my attention was caught by the smoldering remains of a house. I walked over and peered inside, noting that this building had had a basement. The hole went down about ten feet, and the bottom was filled with ashes and a few metal boxes.

Leaving Volk near the top, I climbed down into the pit. Ahead of me was one of the boxes, which I promptly drew out an opened. Inside was a red, folded sweatshirt, which I set to the side. Beneath I spotted a few TM's and a couple syringes and bottles with a viscous gray liquid.

I quickly placed the TM's in my pack and put the sweatshirt with my clothes – no use giving up free clothing that matched my color scheme after all – and picked up a few of the bottles. The labels on the first two were smudged, as if they had been wet and someone slid across the type with their fingers. The third, however, was completely legible.

'_Vesicular Stomatitis_'

My stomach dropped. Here, in my hands, was the virus that was affecting the Hoenn region at large. I shook all over and wrapped the bottles in extra cloth, making sure they wouldn't break in my pack. Morgan would know what to do with them, I was sure, and I would contact him when I reached Fortree.

"Blaze!" Volk shouted out from above. I could here growling and quickly scrambled up from the pit.

In front of me was a half circle of Pokémon, ranging from Poochyena to Zigzaggon's and their evolved forms. One thing they all had I common, though, was that they were foaming at the mouth, small specs of blood covering them in varying quantities.

They were all standing approximately twenty feet away, but I knew that could change quickly.

"Volk, return." I said, trying not to cause an alarm in my opponents before my blind starter was safely out of the way. The red light consumed Volk and set the rabid Pokémon off. They charged me and I whipped out my blades, releasing Edge at the same time.

"Skaar!" he yelled, immediately hovering above the battle and lashing out at opponents. I didn't have time, though, to watch my Skarmory and his brilliant air work. My blade slashed down as I jumped over a Linoone, effectively beheading the small creature. I lashed to the left and right, keeping the rest away from me and cutting one down every once in a while.

My breathing came fast and I felt the gusts of air from Edge's attacks. My hair ruffled in that slight breeze and my clothes clung to me with sweat. My arms kept the pattern going, even though I was wearing down quickly.

A sharp pain on my left side coupled with the sound of my tearing shirt informed me that I had been hit. I curved the blade in my hands, bringing it down on the Mightyena that had taken a bit of my flesh. Blood dripped down my side as I kept going.

All around me lay bodies and wounded, but I kept swinging as the infected kept coming. I fell into a trance like state as the sun crossed from late afternoon to early evening before realizing that the swarm of Pokémon was gone, all either dead or wounded.

I still felt the blood dripping down my side, and I sheathed my blades, immediately spraying the stinging anti bacterial Potion on it, then wrapping myself in bandages. There were more injuries then I had noticed before, my arms both had cuts and a gash on my leg.

Looking around, I felt sick to my stomach. Bodies lay everywhere. There were the small, kind little Zigzagoons and the perky Poochyenas. Quick Linoones lay dead next to the fierce Mightyenas. And I stood in the middle of it. I took out Edge's ball and returned him, pure horror coursing through my veins as I walked through the slaughter. Blood and gore spread across the ground in an unimaginable way, at least fifty bodies sprawled about.

I collapsed to my knees on the outside of the blood ridden ground and lost what was left of the delicious meal I had eaten this morning. I heaved again and again, continuing to do so after there was nothing left in my stomach. The sharp metallic tang of blood filled my nostrils every time I tried to gain my breath, throwing me into another gagging fit.

Soon I was able to stop, my throat welcoming the luke-warm water from my bottle. I looked back at the blood bath and sat, emotionless, as I realized that not all the participants had fallen to my blades and Edge's attacks.

There were three bodies still moving. Two were Zigzagoons, the last was a Poochyena. I stood and brought out three balls, throwing them and capturing the three with no problem. I collected the balls then walked to the side of the Route, finding a notch between the trees where I could rest.

When I looked up again, it was midnight. I looked down at the three balls and noted that one had grayed out. I brought my PokéNav out and went to my new feature, looking at the two numbers listed.

I highlighted 'Lucy Maple' and hesitated over the button that would call her. Should I really burden her with the news that I had to give? She would no doubt be happy that I had found the vials of the disease, as it meant that a cure could be engineered, but could I trouble her with the news of what had happened?

I looked again at the moonlit blood bath and noted that almost all of the bodies were gone. I watched as shadows came from the grass and dragged the dead away, idly wondering if they were Pokémon or some sort of demon that feasted upon the dead bodies. My eyes glazed over as the moon rose higher, casting the area in bright relief.

A howl sent a shiver down my spine and the trees next to me shook. I instantly pulled out a blade, my numbed body acting on instinct alone. A shadow raced past, but spared no thought to me as I calmly sat back down.

Sobs began to wrack my body as I watched more of the dead being dragged away. I again lifted my PokéNav, making up my mind that I would only inform her of the vials and burned down house. I would not trouble her with what had happened.

I pushed the button to send the call, and waited as it rang. After three rings there was a click.

"Lucy?" I asked, a sob barely contained.

Ch. 16 Sedated Sixteenth

...

"Tir? Tiran?" Lucy questioned, her voice conveying concern.

"I-I found some vials of the disease." My voice shuddered and I let out a sob, my body shaking. I was just now being hit hard by what had happened and my breath became shallow as my shivering increased, my dried bloody clothes reminding me of every swing in that battle.

"The disease?" she asked, "The rabies virus?"

"Yes. I found it in a burned down b-building." My voice shuddered again and I thought back to the small burnt out basement to take my thoughts off of the massacre. It helped.

"Do you… want to talk about it?" Those words reached past my reserves and I broke.

"I had to kill them," I sobbed out, "There were so many, but I had to kill them!" My sobs echoed in the trees and I could hear the local Pokémon move about warily. I curled my head to my knees and tears flowed from my eyes.

"Hey, hey," Lucy said softly. "Shhh, it's all right."

"No, it isn't. Only two are still alive." I explained through my sobs. "I killed all except two. There is so much blood."

"You had no choice," Lucy replied. "And there are still two left. Think not about what you've done. Think about all the Pokémon in the future that your discover will save. And now that we known someone's behind this, the League can find them and prevent it from ever happening again."

I knew that she was right, but it was hard when I could see the bodies - only a few left now - being dragged away. I took a deep breath and locked it away, down where I locked all my other problems, and let it out, staring up at the moon.

"It will help." I said, my voice still shaking but much better. "I'll send it all to Morgan when I reach Fortree. Will you tell him?"

"Yeah, sure, of course," Lucy said, voice hushed.

"Bye, then. I'm going to continue on. There's no way I'll be able to sleep."

"All right, Tiran. Be safe, all right? Good bye."

I breathed deeply and stared at the sky as I started to walk. Rain seemed to come from nowhere, as the clouds above did not look dense enough to let out the downpour that started around me. It was startling, to say the least, but I imagined rainbows gracing the scene, as the moonlight was almost bright enough to provide them anyways.

I barely noticed as I walked onward, my feet moving of their own accord. I could feel myself sway to a tune that only existed in my mind. "Let it go..." I whispered, my eyes staring at something that wasn't there. The sun was out, where I was looking. The rain had just ended and I was outside, my brother beside me.

"It's so close!" I called, trying to pull out of his grip and race to the wonderful colors hat fell from the sky.

"I can't let you go, you know that Mom never lets us go that far!" he replied, starting to haul me back. I struggled halfheartedly for a second more, then fell back, content to sit and stare at the arching rainbow. It was so calm, but not a mile away was the sound of cars.

"Do you think there's a pot of gold there? Maybe we could pay for the doctor to help Mom..." I whispered trailing off.

"No. There aren't pots of gold at the ends of rainbows."

"It would be a wonder..." I was back in the early morning rain. It seemed warmer somehow, but I still hugged myself to keep from shivering. I felt tears leak from my eyes as I remembered what I had lost. "Mom, brother, I'm sorry I'm not there."

My voice faded into the night, covered by the rain, but the tears still came. I felt like sobbing, but I held it back, knowing that it would not help. No. Nothing would help but to keep moving on. I tried to smile, but my mouth quavered as the area around me seemed to get darker.

I glanced up and gasped, falling back. A large shadow thudded before me and bellowed out. I gaped in awe at the green covered dino. It was a Tropius, and the one Pokémon I had been looking forward to catching on this route.

My mouth set into a determined line and I wiped my white brown hair out of my eyes. I made a quick mental note to cut it. I reached to my belt and made note of the weather. I pulled a single ball and made it bigger.

A Swellow burst from the ball and called in the moon lit air. "Ket! Start with an Ariel Ace, then follow up with a Wing Attack!" Ket immediately followed my instructions and launched into the first attack. She seemed to fade for a second, leaving a slight trail of afterimages as she sped up. Unfortunately, the Tropius saw it coming. He bellowed and launched a Magical Leaf in front of him.

Ket screeched in pain as the leaves made her break the attack. I ground my teeth together and called for a Secret Power. The orbs of light ringed her, then launched forward, landing a hit against the Tropius who almost avoide3d. I could see that it did very little damage, and Immediately called for Wing Attack. Ket's wings lit up and cut through the falling rain, sending small rainbows into the air. It was a dazzling move and I watched closely, yelling in triumph as the attack landed and the Tropius took a hard blow.

I took a Greatball from my pack and threw it at the slightly weakened Tropius. It rattled for a good bit before finally settling down. I let my held breath out and returned Ket, thanking her, then picking up my new teammate. "I'll call you Chlor." I said quietly as the rain finally slowed to a stop.

I smiled, for the first time in a while, and began to walk forward again.

…

An hour later the Weather Institute came into view. I gazed at the building, half in amazement, half in horror. The building was grand, but in front of it were two Aqua goons. A spark of memory informed me that they were going to attack the Institute. I really couldn't allow that.

I raced forward and landed a punch on the first, my knuckles smarting after the rather stupid move. "Catch me if you can!" I called and raced off to the left. Unlike the game the area here was large. Momentarily I wondered if it was more reminiscent of the show, but cut the thought off. Right now I was running. I could hear them gasping for breath behind me, and I had to wonder at the fact that I was still breathing easy in my all out sprint.

Finally I came to a dead end and turned to face my pursuers. "Up for a double battle?" I asked, holding out two balls and enlarging them.

"Oh, we'll give you more than that!" the first said, sending a shiver down my spine at the tone. He immediately held up a Pokéball as did the other. Both called their Pokémon out at the same time as me. When the red lights receded Edge and Clad were standing before a Golbat and a Mightyena.

My mind shouted that something was off about this, but I pushed it back. This was a battle and I had to concentrate. The Aqua Grunts immediately launched attacks, but I tried to ignore their calls. The Golbat shot a Mean Look at both of mine whilst the Mightyena used Odor Slueth.

"Clad! Use Surf and get them wet! Edge, Throw out some Spikes!" Clad launched a wave of water, hitting both of my opponent's Pokémon as Edge scattered Spikes over the field. The Mightyena barely dared move due to the sharp spikes laying across the ground, but the Golbat launched in for an Air Cutter. It did very little against Edge's armor, but I kept a close eye on them.

Clad started charging a Shockwave and I ordered Edge to keep the Golbat away with Air Cutter. It worked like a charm, as the slashes of air kept the bat from closing in. Clad's attack charged and launched at the two, unavoidable. I watched as it did extra damage to them due to being wet. Both looked bedraggled and I grinned, sure of victory.

I called back my two and let Volk out, letting hi rest against my shoulder as I waited for the two to withdraw their Pokémon. It seemed almost a minute before they gave and finally returned the two.

"You're good, but we still kept you away from the Institute long enough. By now they're already done!"

"Oh, yes, they are done, but not the way you're thinking!" a voice called. I glanced around quickly and saw that I was surrounded by people in the red hoodies of Team Magma. The speaker was a man that I had seen before. Caid. A shiver ran through me. Both anger and fear welled up and my mouth set in a thin line. Although the battles had been short here, most of my Pokémon were worn out. All I had left was Blizzard.

"Aha!" Caid shouted, spotting me. "It seems that your fire type starter survived." He gave a cruel smile that didn't reach his eyes. His eyes were dead.

I gripped my blades and drew them, letting Volk sit back as I went forward to confront Caid. His hair was longer than last time. Only the tips were black and now there was a good length of red beneath that. He sneered at my blades and then turned back to the cruel smile.

"I'm sorry, but this time we won't resort to fighting with blades. This time you die. We can't let those vials you found get into the hands of the Gym Leaders, now can we?"

"How did you know about the vials!"

"You don't think that Team Magma would leave it's creation laying around for just anyone to find, do you?" He laughed cruelly and gave a signal to the others. "Kill them, all." He then turned and walked away.

Around me the forms of innumerable Poochyena and Carvanha formed. I gasped and gripped my swords tightly. The two Aqua Grunts had gone pale and pulled out more Pokéballs. I was now glad that they had them, because this looked to be a fight. I didn't feel confident fighting with Blizzard, as I had almost no training with her.

A mass of commands were called out and the Pokémon launched forward. I had a slight flashback to the infected Pokémon attacking, not even five hours ago. The sun just then rose over the horizon, and with it came the first cry of pain.

I whipped my head around and felt tears fill my eyes as the cry was cut off. Volk was laying, a Poochyena's teeth having ripped into his throat. I drew breath in slowly and let out a sob. All of my enemies were coming forward still, but now it was slow motion. Tears poured down my face and another sob escaped my throat.

Volk was laying there, his newly healed leg and eyes still scarred by the last pain that had come to him. He looked almost peaceful, until you looked down to his neck. It was open and blood was covering it, having only just stopped pouring out. Stopped like the beating of his heart.

I blinked once then swung my sword up, slashing forward. The force of the blade against bone was too much, however, and the hurriedly made hilt cracked. My hand gripped tighter as the metal broke away in thin pieces, allowing the edge to cut into my right palm. I ignored the pain, my tears only coming for Volk. He was gone, and there was nothing I could do. Nothing except live on with this pain.

I swung up with the other blade, finishing the Poochyena in front of me in a bloody arc. The warm liquid coated my face and front, but I simply turned to the rushing Pokémon. My eyes were dead as I lay about me with my blade. He was my first, yet now he was gone. I swung with my left and felt another crack form, but in that hilt. I had never put such deadly force behind my swings, and the blades were taking the toll.

Tears poured from my eyes, unending. Blood poured from my hand, enunding. Death was given to those who attacked me, unending. The blade in my right slipped from my hand, coated in more of my blood then the blood of my attackers. I felt my consciousness returning slowly, and I thought to what Caid had said.

There was a small lull in the fight and my right whipped to my belt. I released Blizzard into the area and immediately took out the two vials. "Bliz! Take these to Morgan!" Bliz took the vials into her mouth and launched into the air, heading back South. A blast took my attention, as it went straight past me and hit Bliz. I cried out at the same time and turned. A Magma Grunt had a large gun resting on his shoulder. It looked to be a launcher of some sort, but I didn't care. I took my left blade and threw it. It swung through the air and embedded itself in the chest of the grunt.

I held the remains of the handle in my hand, but I didn't wait to see if the blade had struck true. I ran toward where Blizzard was falling. I could see her lifeless eyes as she fell and let out another sob. The tears in my eyes poured out faster as I ran, catching sight of the glinting vials.

Behind me I heard a victorious cry from one of the Aqua Grunts, but I had my eyes on the falling vials. I was now almost below tham and I lunged to catch them in my hands. No matter what I wouldn't let Bliz and Volk die in vain!

I slammed into the ground hard and my right came palm down. I felt the glass vial crunch under my hand and the liquid coat my hand. In my left was the other vial. Whole and unharmed.

I sobbed again as Bliz's body thumped down, not ten feet away from where I lay. My breath wouldn't come and I sobbed. I had lost two, two! They were gone. My sadness consumed me and I let my tears seep into the ground beneath me.

…

I cradled the two gray Pokéballs in my hands, rocking back and forth in the pain of loss. I finally stopped shaking enough to wrap the wire around them. Red for Volk, blue for Bliz. They were attached to my wrist without me comprehending the action to do so. I stared at my hands, rocking back and forth again as I was surrounded by the blood of the battle. The grass was red instead of the green it had been only an hour ago. I looked to the sun, finally cresting the horizon, and wished that this day would never have come.

I looked back to my hands and noted that my right hand was seeping purple now, not red. My stomach turned and I began to feel lightheaded. I reached for my belt, but my mind fogged. I no longer knew what was happening, but I knew one thing.

I wished that tomorrow would never come.

Ch. 17

…

Dark. It was very dark, but I felt the rise and fall of my chest. It burned my lungs slightly, but the breathes kept coming. I enjoyed the sound of wind blowing past, then feeling started to come back.

My chest was bare, the wind flowing over my skin like water. I could feel the tips of my ears being tickled by my shifting hair, which really was much too long right now. For a second I considered cutting it, but I gave that up, as I felt no need to. And anyways, it was almost long enough to tie behind me. My eyes flickered slightly and light caused me to shut them tight again. It was very bright, wherever I was. Feeling flooded down to my toes and I wriggled them, noting the absence of shoes. My eyebrows squinched momentarily as I wondered where they were.

My thought was cut short, though, as I regained feeling in my arms. My left was fine, but the pain in my right brought me to the point of screaming. It was sharp and shot from the palm of my hand to half way up my forearm. My fingers twitched spasmaticaly and I curled up around it, letting out a low moan of pain. Immediately there was a flurry of activity around me, and I felt touches from several different figures around me. I threw myself into a mantra, simply repeating the words over and over.

"Pain is temporary. Pain is temporary. Pain is temporary." Continuing it I broke my concentration letting my mind wander away and dull it's awareness. I knew it was still there, but I had put myself into a simple trance by refocusing the attention. The touches around me were three completely different feels. Two had the smooth and slightly sunwarmed presence of metal, one was the soft touch of feathers, and the last was the light touch of leaves. I let myself be distracted more by those feelings and forced my eyes to open.

It was not as bright as I had originally thought, but my eyes could not take the amount of light that did pour over me. I glanced around and gave pained smiles to the four around me... The remains of my friends. I lifted my left hand and gazed sadly at the morbid gray charm bracelet that adorned it. Redirecting my attention as I felt the tears prick my eyes, I looked down at my right. There was a large, scabbed over purple gash on my hand. The purple seemed to be darkest in the actual cut, then radiated and faded out across my palm. Looking on with a morbid fascination, I traced dark purple veins that ran along the underside of my arm to about half way up my forearm before it faded under my skin.

The pain had faded greatly since I woke and I took a deep breath in, just now noticing a very sweet smell. Looking around, I immediately located the source as Chlor, my new Tropius. He gave me a grin that said everything was okay, and if I had been more attentive, I would have realized how weird it looks when a dinosaur grins. I grinned back and wrapped my arms around each of my remaining friends, stretching my legs and cringing at the stiffness that had built up.

"You know?" I half whispered, my voice cracking slightly and my throat hurting from disuse. "You are all more then my friends, we're family." The four called out their names and surrounded me in a crushing press of bodies. I grinned and ran my hands over all of them, happy that they agreed. They had been family all along, but this was the first I had ever thought it as that. I just wished that there weren't so many gray balls in my possession.

A tear slipped from my eye.

It was a good 15 minutes before I was able to disentangle myself from the group, but I didn't have the heart to return them. From the looks of it, they hadn't left my side from the moment I collapsed earlier today. I looked around me and was glad that I had not gone back to wherever the battle had been the hardest. The sight of blood and dead would have ruined the moment.

My stomach clenched at the thought and I quickly reprimanded myself. It was inconsiderate of the Pokémon and humans that had died, though I had no idea if there were any human casualties. Looking at my remaining blade and noting the cracked handle, I swore to myself that no matter what, I would no longer kill.

Glancing around, I thought I recognized the area, maybe the ledge over there was where the rocketeer had stood... but, no, this was a different area. There was nothing here that would remain after a battle-

My Nav rang in my pocket and I jumped, the sound scaring me in the semi quiet of nature. I fumbled at my pant pocket and finally pulled out the Nav. The screen was lit up and I read the name: 'Lucy Spalding'

I smiled a little, glad that she would call after my rant in the dark hours of the morning. I clicked to accept the call and held it to my ear.

"Hello!"

"Tiran," Lucy greeted, "I –" she paused, "How have you been?"

I smiled slightly at this and looked up to the sun, which had just been covered by cloud. "Well, since our conversation this morning It's been a train wreck!" I could feel the smile stay in place as a chasm opened inside me. My voice stayed steady but tears rolled down my face in silent agony. I plopped myself onto the ground and Ket stood next to me, her soft feathers rubbing lightly against my bare skin. I briefly wondered where my shirt was.

"This morning? Tiran, I haven't talked to you in almost two weeks!" I stopped and a cold wave went through me that had nothing to do with the breeze. My eyes locked forward and my body froze. Ket chirped nervously but I felt empty. Two weeks?

"Two... but that's..." My fingers shook lightly and I turned to look at my pokemon. They looked as if they were fine at first glance, but now that I looked closer... Ket's feathers were unkempt, small flecks of mud in them. Edge and Clad both seemed dull, the healthy, reflective shine had left them. And Chlor... Chlor looked ragged, the edges of his leaf wings looked slightly frayed and his skin was paler then when I had caught him. I then realized why they were so happy to see me wake up.

"Tiran?" Lucy questioned. "Please, just say something." Her voice seemed slightly distant and I realized that the phone was slowly slipping away from my ear.

"Two weeks... It can't really..." I said to myself, my voice soft. "I couldn't have been down for two weeks, but everything... I just... But they're gone, and everyone else looks so..." I shook my head, not believing that I could have been so much trouble for my friends, my family. I brought the phone close to my ear again and took a shuddering breath. "Lucy, why?"

Even I could hear how lost I sounded, but I felt even more lost then that.

"Oh, Tiran, I don't know." Lucy said, pausing for a second. "What's the last thing you remember?" Her voice was steady and I took a deep breath, taking some of that steadiness myself. Thinking back, I was shocked. I cringed at the memory and immediately looked down to my left wrist.

"I lost Volk and Bliz." I whispered, my eyes tearing again. "Volk got killed in the first part of the attack and Bliz got shot when she tried to escape with the vials. I saved a vial though, the other shattered in my hand. I didn't want to let them die in vain." I paused and let the tears dry, though my chest still heaved with suppressed sobs. "And then it all went dark, but I got my other Pokémon out before I passed out... for... two weeks..."

"Jesus, Tiran," Lucy gasped, taking several deep breaths. "I'm so sorry," she told me, her voice sincere. "All right, all right. You – you need to get to a Pokémon Center. The closest one possible, as soon as possible. Where are you? Do you need me to come find you?"

"I'm..." I stopped, looking around. "Heh, I have no idea where I am. I think my Pokémon moved me during that two weeks. The last I remember is being slightly West of the Weather Institute, but you shouldn't go that way." My voice became steadier at the last part. I didn't want her to stumble across all that blood and the bodies... "You have to promise me not to go that way. I tried my Nav, but I couldn't get the map to work, so I think somethings broken on it."

"I don't like the idea of you being so out in the open when you and your team are so… fragile. But it's probably a good idea to sit still and heal up a little before wandering into uncharted territory. The brook will provide water, but your food's probably gone bad. Look for berry trees."

"Food? My Pokémon are probably hungry." I said, slightly confused for a second. Even being out for two weeks I did not feel hungry. I threw a worried glance over to them, catching the furtive and worried glances they threw back. I tried to shift my weight, but a stab of pain went through my arm, causing a small cry of pain. "Lucy? Do you know why my hand is purple?"

"It's from the virus; your hand is infected from getting it into your wounds. It needs to be treated. I don't know what happens if its not." She sounded nervous about it, but I simply looked down at the almost healed cut.

"I don't think that will be a problem. It's already almost healed up and the veins go back to normal about half way up my forearm. When I woke up, Chlor was using some sort of move that smelled good. I think it was a healing move..." I stated, trailing off and trying to remember some moves but drawing a blank. "Oh! Chlor is my Tropius, I caught him before making it to the Institute..." I felt that emptiness again and whispered sadly, "I only have four left now..."

"It seems like neither of us has had a good few weeks. That's great about Chlor, though. I'll be sure to tell Morgan about covering you for it," Lucy promised. The words stopped and I could hear the breeze again, going through the tree branches. I just realized then how selfish I had been in this conversation, at least to my own mind, and it made me feel ten times worse then any physical pain.

"What about you Lucy? We've only been talking about me, so please, tell me what you have done while I've been out." I said, the last part getting more to begging.

"Nonna, Roxie, and Minnow," Lucy said. A cold shock ran through me.

"Three of them?" My voice was light and I tried to process the information. "But... Three? Who's with you?"

Lucy cleared her throat. "Vex, J, Gabe, Copper, and a new recruit – Callie."

"Is J OK?" I asked, aware that the psychic may be having the hardest time with this. "Callie..." Immediately a word popped into my mind, it was meaningless to me now, but it seemed to hold a weight. "Lucy... what's California?"

"Jesus is doing better than she was before. California is a state in the United States back in the… holy shit, Tiran, did you just remember something?"

"I'm glad Jesus is okay." I then furrowed my brow, running my hand over the grass. It seemed... "We... went there... It was for... something. Something about my family... But we weren't there long... I can't remember more then that though..." It seemed to be there, at the edge of my mind, but I couldn't grasp it. It tickled at my senses and it was on the tip of my tongue, ready to be said, but then it was gone. "What do you remember about the... States, was it?"

"Yes, the United States of America. That's where I'm from, where you're probably from, too," Lucy added. "Uh, it's part of a continent with two other nations, Canada and Mexico. California is like… a providence of sorts on the Western coast. It's warm; beach, sun, sand – a lot like Slateport, actually."

"I didn't like Slateport much. There were too many people there, on the beach. I just wanted to sit in the sand by myself, but there were too many people... We saw an orca." My thoughts were scattered and I couldn't seem to think in one direction. "At home the winters were cold. I always hated the cold... I'm glad Hoenn is warm... There weren't Pokémon in the states, I can't remember them..."

"No, there aren't any Pokémon in the States," Lucy agreed, a somewhat happy note in her voice. "Not real ones, at any rate. They're fictitious, made-up creatures for a video game."

"Ah, I see." I said, my mind floating among the fragments of a debris field. I got small snatches of information, but none seemed important... "My name! I remember my name!"

"That's great!" Lucy shouted back, "What is it?"

"Well... I only remember my last name... and it sounds kinda funny with my first name." I rubbed the back of my head and smiled as I felt my face heat up. "My last name is Terrar. So I'm Tiran Terrar."

"Tiran Terrar," Lucy said, as if tasting a sweet or a sip of wine. "I like it, has a nice ring." she chuckled a little. "So, Mr. Terrar, what are you planning on doing about your… situation?"

I glanced at my Pokémon again. Clad had fallen asleep, but the rest were still glancing at me. I could see that they were still slightly worried. A breeze swept past that was slightly colder then before and I shivered. "Well, I think we will take a few days to get back up to full strength then head to... um... Fortree! I have to buy more clothes and a new pack anyways, as I seem to only have my pants left. I really hope they have some of those great shoes there! I'm lucky that I kept my money, Nav, badges, and ID in my pockets." I trailed off for a second and smiled at the sky. "What will you be doing?"

"Fortree is a good place for shopping… so long as you're not afraid of heights," Lucy added. "I'm heading East; I think I'll visit Mt. Pyre and pay my respects before heading on to Lilycove to pick up a few things of my own."

I nodded and my mind scrambled around again, but I forced it into something solid enough to form a sentence. "I used to be afraid of heights, but not anymore. I'm going to make an impromptu grave here before moving on, so maybe I'll meet you in Lilycove. You should call more often, too."

"I will. I just wanted to give you a little space after everything." Lucy said, sighing. "All right, Tiran Terrar, I think it's time we called this to an end. You, young man, need rest, and I need to head as far East as I can get before dark comes."

"Sounds good Lucy Spalding. I'll see what I can do here, good bye."

"Bye." Lucy said. I clicked the button to end the call and turned to my family with a smile.

"It seems we have to take a nice refreshing break!" I said, smiling. All four called out happily, my mood rubbing off on them. I knew that Volk would be happy wherever he was, he always wanted everyone to be happy deep down.

Watching my Pokémon gather berries as I stretched more stiffness out, slowly and carefully, I realized I was feeling tired. Colder winds swept over me and I shivered in my shirtless state. Absently I wondered at what my family would be doing, but I shrugged it off. My family was here now, around me and depending on me as much as I was depending on them.

A good meal for my Pokémon later, I didn't eat much myself, I rested in a tailor's seat in a small dirt clearing. I had placed my remaining blade into the semi-soft soil and adorned it with small pleated grass bracelets and flowers. First was Pooch, then Peck, and most recently Bliz and Volk. Imagining each of them and what they would look like hear and now was hard, tears seeping from my eyes as I calmly payed.

Odd, how empty you felt when you lost those close to you. But it also made me realize how much I wanted to be there for every second of the ones who were still with me and the ones who would join me.

ch.18

…

Walking into Fortree was an... odd experience. The wind was still chill and myself still without a shirt or shoes. Whispering my thanks to Ket, I returned her to her ball.

Only a day had passed since Lucy's phone call, but I had been unable to stay there and rest, mostly due to the growing chill. I mused over the thought of Hoenn being a temperate land in near perpetual summer, but obviously that didn't apply to the northern regions of it. They were more varied.

The few people walking around at this time of day stared at me. I smiled and twiddled my fingers, catching them and getting varied responses. Many just looked away, embarrassed for having been caught.

Now what was it that Lucy had said? Ah, yes, the tree tops were more where this city held it's main markets. I glanced at the many rope ladders hanging down and then back to the Pokémon Center. It wasn't even a hard choice, I owed them more then waiting while I bought new clothes. The sliding doors did their thing and I walked in, immediately glad that the building was heated. I let out a long sigh and smiled at the luxury.

Passing off my team to the nurse I took a seat at a nearby couch. A few trainers were gathered in the area, minding their own business. Lucy's reprimand came to mind and I cringed. These trainers were real, real people with real problems. I had disregarded them far too often, simply assuming they were all programmed like my family had been, but they were real here.

I looked closer and saw that each may have been doing their own things, but they were still chatting with the others around the room. One girl across from me held a Zigzagoon close to her and chatted animatedly with her sad looking friend, who had that tell-tale look on her face and a small object clasped to her chest. I traced a hand along my own wrist and felt my knuckles slide past the four balls that hung there, each a silent gray reminder.

Glancing between them I followed the conversation without hearing any of the words. The silent girl noticed me, her eyes wandering over me with a sad curiosity that caught on my wrist. "How can you stand it?" she asked, tears at the corners of her eyes but determination lining her face.

I smiled sadly and traced a line of wire. "It doesn't get easier, but you come to realize that you have to move on, if not for yourself then the others around you. I noticed the rest of your team is tucked inside their own balls, you should let them out to mourn with you."

The girl looked truly taken aback at the suggestion and I smiled encouragingly. "She doesn't need to listen to _you!_" said the girl with a Zigzagoon. "You obviously don't care about your Pokémon or you wouldn't have so many dead ones!"

I cringed and felt my lungs clench tight against what those words brought. I cared for my family more then I could put words to, but this girl was doubting everything that I had been through. I forced my eyes to clear and took in her appearance compared to the other girl. They both had longer, dark brown hair and white skin, though the quiet girl's was more tanned. Her clothes were crisp and what I had to guess was the latest fashion while the others were travel worn and showing holes in a few places. And lastly, their eyes were what truly set them apart. One was filled with high ideals and childish innocence while the others carried the weight of the world. Even through all their differences I could see that they were siblings.

"What I suggest," I said coldly, my voice making her cringe, "Is not judging trainers unless you have been one. There's a world of experience that you could never understand behind my words and the care I show to my family."

Her eyes filled at the mention of family and she stood, stomping her foot and marching away. I grinned at the display and wondered why it was that little sisters always seemed to know just what to do to make you feel guilty. Of course, my little sister was far better at it then she was, able to wrap you around her finger at whim.

"I'm sorry about her. She always thinks she's right, but she doesn't know about being a trainer. She has to wait to start next year, by the way, I'm Becca Valda." she held out a callused hand.

"Tiran Terrar." I took the hand and shook it firmly. At just this instant the nurse walked over and handed me a tray with my Pokéballs on it, thanking me for my visit. _At least she didn't tell me she hopes to see me again soon_. "Would you mind walking with me? I need to find and buy some new clothes."

Becca eeped, though I wasn't sure if it was over the thought of shopping or if she had only just now noticed my major wardrobe malfunction, and pulled me behind her as she left.

The open air and high up markets of Fortree were a feast for the eyes, as well as the people who shopped there. Becca rattled on about how she loved to shop and some things about fashion here as I scoured the racks of clothing. I noticed a lot of reds and blacks but I had my eyes out for these fashion that Becca was speaking of.

"So how long have you been a trainer? A few years, right?" Becca asked, abruptly changing the subject.

"Um, no, not really. It's probably been about... Some months, I can't remember exactly." I rubbed my head, trying to think about it. I'd have to ask Lucy how long it'd been.

"What!" Becca yelled, making me jump and others look over. "Then you must have started late, right? How many badges do you have?"

"I have five right now, if I win against the leader here in Fortree I'll have six. And what do you mean I must have started late?"

"Really? Most people out as long as you only have one or two, maybe three. I've never heard of anyone with almost six badges that quick. And by start late, I mean you're what? Thirteen or fourteen?" She looked closely at my face and now I noticed that she was shorter then me, an average ten year old. I was taken aback that I had misjudged my age. It would probably get a good laugh out of Lucy or Morgan, who knew what had happened, but I had kept away from other trainers for so long that I was completely off on my own age.

"I'm fourteen." I stated, keeping the surprise out of my voice. I didn't want her to know that I truly had no idea. "Back in July."

"Ah, it's gotta be nice being treated like an experienced trainer when you deserve it." Becca said wistfully.

"That reminds me, I haven't met your team yet and you haven't met mine. Let's finish up shopping and then head to the outskirts of town."

It took us about an hour more to find everything I needed, but I was set to adventure by the time we were done. I looked pretty well to do in my new clothes, if I did say so myself. There was a sky blue tank patterned to look like feathers and a green jacket with brass buttons that blended with the leaves. I kept my pair of black cargos and bought a few more of each piece of clothing so I wasn't wearing the same thing all the time. I grabbed a pair of black and green running shoes along with a black backpack as we left.

By the time we were done shopping the sun had reached the horizon, marking the end of the day. Instead of stay in the cold and dark I spent the night at the Center, Becca staying at her own home. I relaxed on the couch, thinking it could probably be the softest thing in the world. There were few other trainers around this particular Center, it looked as if all those people earlier had moved on or had a real bed to sleep in like Becca.

The next morning's breakfast was mouthwatering. I bought as much food for my team as they wanted and busied myself combing my fingers through Ket's plumage, removing the molted feathers and straightening others. They seemed much more rested then they had before, and I fed off of that energy myself.

I kept looking at my new clothes and running my fingers over the odd, pattern making weaves. It was exhilarating to be clothed again. Glancing around I decided that some quality time was to be needed tomorrow. I wouldn't be able to move on knowing the ragged state we were all in.

…

It was a little after three when I arrived on the outskirts of town. Ahead I could see the form of the girl I met yesterday. She stood straighter and her clothes looked new, giving her an air of confidence. Becca turned and grinned, four Pokéballs in her hand, resting between the tips of her fingers.

"Shall we make this interesting and introduce our team in a battle?" I nodded and grinned back, liking this side of her.

"How about we make it interesting and have a double battle!" I yelled, getting into the fighting spirit.

"Sure thing, ladies first!" She threw two balls into the air and out came a Poochyena and a Nuzleaf. "Introducing Potpurri and Nal!" I noticed the two do a half bow and chuckled. Potpurri the Poochyena took it the wrong way and growled.

"Now now little one, here come Edge and Ket!" I threw the two balls in the air and my Skarmory and Swellow flew out, calling their names and swooping in a very synchronized manner. _Someone has been practicing_, I thought to myself. "You two, meet Becca, Potpurri, and Nal."

"Introductions aside, Purri use Howl! Nal, Faint Attack the Swellow!" A bone chilling howl filled the air, a savage look coming across the small dog Pokémon's face. A shadow shot across the field and got behind my two winged fellows, solidifying into the Nuzleaf and cracking a chop across Ket's back.

"Retaliation time you two! Ket, Aerial Ace the Nuzleaf, Edge, spread some spikes!" Ket dashed into an attack that hit hard whilst Edge scattered sharp looking spots across the field. I could see a grin on Becca's face and set myself for whatever was to come.

Rock's shot out of the ground as Ket struck Nuzleaf, plowing into her hard and inflicting some major damage. I instantly shot the red beam out to her and smiled in relief when it was still red. I pulled out another and lobbed it up. "C'mon Clad!"

My Aggron came out roaring, taking in the situation. Becca's calls came softer and soon I could only see the result of them, I kept it the same. The next to fall was Nal from a splendid Air Cutter from Edge. I cheered as he screeched in triumph and Becca brought out a Delcatty by the name of Bell.

Being double teamed by the two, Ket was the next to fall as Clad couldn't move fast enough to keep up. I grinned and called out Chlor as Clad took down the Poochyena, only to replaced by a Roselia by the name of Mistro. Cringing, I realized that Becca had tactically drawn and taken out my fliers with the use of Nuzleaf and now I had nothing super effective against her status inflicter.

"Cudos to you!" I called, giving her a thumbs up. "Use strategy and you can overcome stronger opponents with ease!" Her face was confused for a second, leading me to think that I had misjudged her, but then she grinned knowingly and called for status inflictions. By the end of the match all the Pokémon were worn down, her own team having gotten caught by powders pushed this way and that by fickle winds.

"You know Becca," I said, using a hunk of steel wool to polish Clad, "You are a great strategist. You're able to plan on the fly and lead your opponent into foolish moves. That was almost like when I fought Gym Leaders."

"I was going to say the same. You're very good at helping your opponent move forward and become stronger while being firm with them at the same time. But this talk is silly, they don't make kids leaders." She sat with Bell to her side and Mistro in he lap, Soaking the sun into his petals.

"What about Misty? She was a kid and they made her Leader."

"She was born into it. If you're a Gym Leader's kid you become a Gym Leader if you want, no tests or anything. That goes for Misty and Falkner. I heard that Norman, the Gym Leader in Petalburg, has a daughter, but I don't know more then that. I've never even heard rumors about who she really is or what age or anything. For all I know she's like one or two."

"That's really an interesting concept, kinda like royalty. Follows in the footsteps. But I have to say that I'm not sure that the kids get to skip anything. Those that take over are probably groomed for it and don't get to go on journeys themselves. I don't think that that is very good, because they probably don't understand how hard it is to lose one of your team." I stopped and blinked. "Now look, I went and made a speech! That's gotta be very Gym Leader like, don't they always make a speech before battle?"

Becca giggled and tickled me with a long strand of grass, making me laugh as I switched to scrubbing Edge.

…

By the time I got back to the Center I was exhausted. Between lavishing the day on our Pokémon we had had a lot of tickle fights and small games. I had found out that Becca had lost her Oddish, Rona, in a gym battle with Lavaridge and was headed out to fight Roxanne in Rustboro next. I shared stories about my travels and the ones I'd lost as well, telling her the order I had fought Gym Leaders and making a suggestion for her to try that same route also. In the end she was staying with her family before heading out again in the early morning.

Number tucked safely into my Nav, I smiled as I lay down in the Center, feeling truly happy. And loathe as I was to admit it, Lucy was right. Talking to others had helped so much. I just hoped she didn't get a big head from it.

Ch. 19 Nineteenth Nuances

…

Straw crunched underneath my foot as I stepped into the arena. The standard whit boxes marked the floor but my gaze was caught in the ceiling, or lack there-of. There was a giant skylight that let the sun stream down over where I stood.

Fresh air blew in, if somewhat chilly. I tightened my jacket and glanced around. There were several speakers on the wall and a door. It was a nice contrast to all the stupid bars that I had had to go under on the way.

"So you're a challenger?" I started and looked back at the door. There was a girl standing there. Her voice was laced with a slight accent and she wore a flight helmet and jacket and looked perfectly comfortable in the weather.

"Yes. I've come to challenge the Gym. You're... not from around here, right?" I rubbed my hands together, realizing this was only the second Gym Leader I had ever brought up the subject to. I made a note to myself to get the numbers for the others from Lucy or Morgan.

Her eyes sharpened, taking another glance at me. "Yeah, I can see what Lucy meant when she said you looked sort of like Brendan. I guess the brown hair is what you had before?"

I nodded and grinned, pulling a long strand in front of my eyes. "Yeah, and since I got here it seems to have gotten a bit more brown. But enough of this. I'm just gonna guess from this magnificent Gym that you have flying types?"

"Yes, I do have flying types. But you get no more then that before the battle."

"Well, then, let's start!"

"The match between Gym Leader Winona and Tiran Terrar of Petalburg is about to begin!" I jumped hard, not used to the announcer. And how the heck did they get my name! I clenched my teeth and reached to my belt while she did the same.

"Come on out Clad!" I threw the Pokéball in the air and released my Aggron onto the field, Clad roaring loudly and stomping the ground. Winona grinned and threw a ball in the air releasing a Pelliper. Now we both had reason to grin. "Clad, Shockwave!"

A ball of electricity charged in front of Clad's mouth and blasted out, surrounding Pelliper and shocking it till it fell to the ground. I was shocked at how quickly the Pokémon had gone down, and from the looks of it so was she. A red beam recalled the downed bird and another flash released a familiar large green creature.

"Let's see how you fare against Torpedo!" She had an analytical frown on her face as she said this.

"Well, let's see how you fare right back!" I pulled Clad back and ran my fingers across the balls on my belt. "Go, Ket! Go right into Wing Attack!"

"Counter that with Magical Leaf, Torpedo!" she called. A storm of multicolored leaves filled the area between the two and Ket darted back and forth, avoiding as many as she could. Some leaves nicked across Ket's wings and she grunted, pulling out of the attack. She came close to the ground, getting under the cloud.

"Get in there with Aerial Ace, Ket, then follow up with Secret Power!" A bright flash and Ket was next to Torpedo, wing bashing into it. I grinned as balls of energy then formed in a circle around the both. Ket dashed up and the orbs came in quickly, slaming into all sides of the dino.

It looked weak now, but it still wasn't over. "Finish it with another Aerial Ace!" Ket did so, coming in fast and finishing it cleanly. The next one out was Skarmory. I grinned again and swapped out for Edge, making it a fight of Skarmories. Edge launched forward, wings glowing. The battle went back and forth, neither one having an attack that hurt the other much. I grinned at the field, content to watch the amazing battle.

If I closed my eyes it almost sounded like a sword fight. Metal clanged against itself loudly. It brought me back to training in Lavaridge, when I had used Edges feathers to fight against my steel types. I grinned to myself, realizing how rudimentary my 'training' had been. It was simply me learning how to swing the sword, maybe have a better grip and a few dodges.

"Dodge!" I shouted, Edge having lost sight of the other and being come up on quick. They both were close to going down, but my shout had warned Edge quickly enough. He slammed a glowing wing into the opponent and sent it to the ground.

"Good job, now come back Edge!" The Gym Leader gaze me a slight glare and I grinned back, causing her to grin in return. I gripped Clad's ball again, unsure about Chlor's possible performance, since I hadn't had him long.

"Let's see how you do against Swailor!" she called, sending out a small Swablu. I threw my own and Clad formed again, roaring louder then before. She frowned again, this time slightly confused. "Your first Pokémon again. Why?"

"I only have one other, and he's new. I wouldn't want to risk him in a Gym Battle." We nodded to each other and the battle was back on. "Clad, Rollout!"

Clad launched into a giant rolling ball, bouncing around the field and even against the walls. He came in, faster then something that big should move and scored a critical hit against the small cotton puff. It flew back and slammed against the wall.

Winona's expression was shocked, as was my own. She fumbled for the ball and called her Pokémon back, both of us sighing in relief when it remained red. A determined expression plastered her face as she held up her final Pokéball. "I don't know how well you will fare against this one, but Lucy seemed to do alright. I have been training since then, though!"

An Altaria burst forth from the red, immediately launching into an attack that caused a purple light to flicker across the field. Clad rolled faster, straw tearing up around him as he went. Coming heavily into the attack, it barely seemed to phase the Altaria, almost being deflected.

"Wrap yourself up in Shockwave while spinning!" I called. The effect was almost instantaneous as little bolts of electricity played across the rolling steel type. Smoking straw rained across the field, reducing visibility as Clad rolled in place. I coughed at the burning smell and wiped some soot from my jacket. "NOW!"

A crackling explosion resounded through the field and sharper pieces of straw pelted me, hand raise to block my eyes. It was a full minute before the smoking debris cleared, and I couldn't see either of the Pokémon. Winona was looking around as well.

"Wait, Clad!" I yelled, dashing onto the field. He was still rolled up, but now he was caught between two of the straw floor parts. "You OK?" I reached my hand in and ran it over his steel armored exterior. There was a grunt and a small shift in the floor as Clad tried to wiggle.

"Good, you're alright. Have a nice rest!" I returned him, the floor immediately shifting under me and causing me to fall into the quickly vacated hole.

"Having fun down there?" Came Winona's voice. She seemed to be holding back a laugh. I grabbed hold of stuff and pulled myself out, flopping over onto the floor and laughing.

"Loads of it!"

"Well, here's your badge," the small metal Feather Badge dropped on my chest and I shoved it in my pocket quickly to avoid losing it in the thatched mess. "That was the best battle I've had in a while. And definitely not as one sided as Lucy's." I grinned and stood, dusting off my clothes.

"By the way, I've just been calling you Winona in my head. What's your name?"

"Oh, I'm Tabby Harkins."

I reached my hand out to shake hers and grinned. "Tiran Terrar, nice to meet you."

"Same, especially another trainer with some Flying Types. What is your newest Pokémon, if I may ask?"

"He's a Tropius named Chlor. I like the name you gave yours." I rubbed my hand across the back of my head, grinning and then shaking my head. "You know, after me and Lucy beat the shit out of Teams Aqua and Magma I should come back and we can have another battle, or take a flight. Here, take my Nav number."

"What, no offers for me to get in touch with all the other Gym Leaders?" She shook her head but accepted the number anyways.

"Actually, I only have Morgan's number, and now yours and Lucy's. I figured that wouldn't be too useful. I should get going now. I have to get something to Morgan and this battle reminded me that I can have my Pokémon fly me to Mauville." Tabby simply nodded as I let Ket out, still fresh after the battle and explained what I wanted to do, going straight through the open roof.

The landscape below passed swiftly, high trees giving way to the tall swaying green grasses. I spotted the burned down hut shortly and then we were to the river, and over. It was amazing to think that I had been in that area for longer then two weeks, and that flying by it only took me a few hours.

Mauville rose in the distance, a pretty sizable city here, and I could see the Bike Path to the left. Somehow, though, it felt like cheating, getting there so fast. However, I was OK since I knew Morgan would want the vial as soon as possible. And it wasn't like I hadn't been there before.

We came down slowly onto the paved streets and landed softly, Ket letting me onto the ground. A quick stop at the Pokémon Center and I was on my way to the Gym. The doors opened smoothly and I walked in, letting my eyes adjust as my ears caught the harsh sounds of a battle.

A flash of electricity accompanied by a mechanical sounding voice hit my ears and I watched, amazed, as the electricity from Magneton's attack balled together in the middle and then launched right back at it with a purple hue. It was stunning to see such a powerful Pokémon have its own attack used against it.

Turning my attention I spotted a green haired challenger standing steadfast with a Gardevoir in front of him. I grinned and sat in the bleachers to watch as Gardevoir threw one last psychic at the Magneton before it went down, making Wally the winner. I sighed, knowing I had missed out on a great fight.

I stood and walked forward, taking Wally by surprise. "Tiran!" he yelled, giving me a tight hug and me giving him a half one in return. "It's been forever since I've seen you!"

"You know young man, I usually don't allow people to watch." Morgan said in his stoic tone though I caught the hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth. When had I gotten such a tight knit group of friends?

I was released and Wally was given his badge while I reached into my bag and pulled out the vial. "You probably want this, Morgan. It's got the disease in it. Seems Magma knows a bit about it."

He simply took the vial, giving a small nod and turning with an intent look on his face. "I'll take care of this right now. Why don't you two go and catch a Pokémon in the desert. From your records I know that neither of you have caught one there, but you've both gone past." And then he was gone.

I turned from the white haired to the green and grinned. "You heard him. We get to team up and take on the desert!" I walked around behind Wally and started pushing him out into the comparatively bright light of the day.

I hate sand! The goggles only helped with your visibility a little, and then you were still covered in the stuff. It got into your mouth while you were talking, so me and Wally had stopped a bit back, having had plenty of time on the way to get caught up. It seemed that he had made tremendous progress in his journey, Morgan having given him his fifth badge. He had been amazed that I had six already, and I had been shocked at how much he knew Lucy, or at least how much credit he gave her for getting him started on the right path.

I was glad to know that he was well and that he'd gotten as far as he had, but it also made me sad to know that I missed out on such a great opportunity due to the man that was my 'dad'. I wondered how different it would be if me and Wally had journeyed together those first days.

I shoved the thought to the back of my mind, no use crying over spilt MooMoo Milk, as they say. We were here to catch Pokémon after all, and I meant to put that opportunity to the fullest. Glancing around I saw Wally was in his own battle, though I couldn't see with what.

Then my foot was sliding. I let out a small yell before going headfirst into a big pit, my mouth filling with sand. I tumbled several times before landing flat and trying to spit sand out of my mouth. I coughed a few times then sat up. One good thing, I guess, is that the wind and flying sand didn't reach down here. It was almost as clear as being outside the desert, even though I was only fifteen feet down or so.

I stood gently and moved to one of the sides, trying to climb. The sand beneath my hands and feet slid away and I grunted in frustration, pounding my fist into the sand. I guess I just had to wait until Wally found me. That is... If he found me.

I took a deep breath and cleared my head, then yelped and scrambled, clenching my teeth. Looking down, I could see an orange head sticking out of the sand and clamped down on my leg. "Would you LET GO!" I yelled, standing and dragging the thing out with me. I shook my leg hard, but the thing just held on tighter as I yelled.

"Tir! Are you OK down there?" Wally yelled. I was happy to see him standing on the edge of the hole, rope in hand. He tossed the end down to me and I grabbed on tight, more or less being pulled up by a sickly kid. Reaching the top, I began shaking my leg again and trying to get free. Then I grabbed hold of Wally and dragged him out of the desert, my impromptu ankle bracelet along for the ride.

"We are finally out!" Truthfully it had only been a few hours, but with everything else it was nearing night. "And this thing still hurts!"

"Hey, you caught it, didn't you?" Wally asked. I looked at him with my mouth agape for a second then slammed my palm to my forehead. I pressed a Pokéball to the things forhead and it was zapped up in a flash of red light. I watched as it shaked once, twice, and then stopped.

"You know, when it was latched onto me like that, I didn't even think to catch it. I probably would have walked ll the way back to Mauville with it too..."

"Well, that's what I'm here for Tir." He was laughing, and I could tell. At least it was over and my leg wasn't clamped any more. I motioned towards Wally's belt and made the 'gimme' sign with my hand. "Well, I do know what you caught, so I can show you mine."

In a flash there was a small tan colored ball that was simply sitting on the ground. "You little- How the heck did you get so lucky as to catch a Sandshrew!" The Sandshrew in question unrolled itself and tilted it's head at me curiously, whispering its own name.

"Me, lucky? How about you and the Trapinch! Those things become Flygon, you know!" I was shocked. Actually, I had known, but I had forgotten. Another thing wih wings had been added to my team.

"Grah! I'm such a freaking bird catcher! Clad's the only one who won't have wings!"

Wally laughed outright and patted me on the back. "Well, you did always have your head in the clouds, now the rest of you is just following."

We walked back to the Pokémon Center and went inside, claiming the last two couches as the sun came to set. It was busy but there was a deep quiet over the other trainers that I didn't understand. At the very least I had a new team member. Now the ones on my belt outnumbered the ones on my wrist. I wanted to keep it that way.

"So what're you gonna name him?" Wally asked, snapping me from my thougts. "I know you and Lucy like to name your teams. What're you going to name the Trapinch?"

Grinning slightly, I conceded. "I'm gonna name him Trick."

Chapter 20

"Trap, Trapinch!" "Tiran, wake up!" My shoulder was grasped firmly and I was shook. I instantly bolted up, hands going to my Pokéball belt and pulling out Clad and Edges. It took me a few seconds to realize that I was in a Pokémon Center and not being shaken awake by some attacker. Blinking a few times to clear the eye gunk I straightened from my crouch and looked to Wally, whose green hair was mussed by sleep.

"How did Trick get out of his ball?" I asked, standing and looking dumbfounded at my Pokémon. Surely one of my other Pokémon had come out on its own before? Well, whoever and whenever it was, I couldn't think about it. And I didn't want to think about it. What if it had been Volk or Bliz? Maybe even Pooch or Peck? I felt tears prick my eyes in the dark and a suppressed sob choked me for a second. I was always the worst at night.

"It's Team Magma!" Wally whispered to me loudly, crouched next to the couch I had claimed as a bed. He was glaring at the front of the Pokémon Center, where a large window provided the scene. I turned myself and saw what Wally had been talking about. There were many people clothed in the red and black of Magma gathered in the square outside. They were shifty looking and glancing uneasily at the gym. The mere sight of so many brought the painful memories of what to me less then a week back with vivid clarity. The use of weapons, Volk, Bliz.

"C'mon Wally, we're going to stop them no matter what they're up to!" My voice was determined and I planted a foot forward to begin my march to the exit, hands still filled with Pokéballs when Trick grabbed my leg, his teeth coming close to puncturing the skin. I looked down at my new Pokémon, a little of my anger abating. He was new and didn't know the loss that had befallen the group. "OK, maybe we need a plan first."

I turned to Wally who was looking over the couch, eyes wide in what could have been shock or terror. "What are you staring at? We have to stop them!" I looked around, perhaps for another trainer that would back me up, but the Center was devoid of any such person. That's odd, I could swear that there were people here when we came in. But I was tired at that point. I quickly shook my head and turned my gaze back on Wally.

"But, they're criminals, we can't fight them. Even you lost to them!" I was jolted by the statement, my anger flaring again. I really needed a target and Trick and Wally weren't the ones I needed to take it out on. I saw that they were gathering closer together and Pokéballs were changing hands, all lustrous red and white. Not a grayed one in sight.

On my wrist were four reminders of why the world was cruel, and two were for how cruel the people in the world could be. I ground my teeth tight and started my march again, a plan forming in my head. It was a simple plan that I could do with or without Wally, all I needed to do was take down as many of them as I could before they threw those Pokéballs.

Four Pokéballs filled my own hands as I saw more being passed on the outside, then I unlatched the door and stepped out into a cold wind. Grinning at the irony, a cold breath on this battle to mirror the coldness in my heart. I tossed all four into the air and time seemed to start again with four cracks and a flash of red that filled the area.

I immediately called attacks, having my three flyers swoop in and knock down as many red covered people as possible before a giant wave of water slammed into the rest. The water from Clad would help against any fire types that Team Magma actually possessed. There were immediate shouts to retreat, the entire group heading East to the river. I called out to have my team follow and I raced beside Clad as my flyers turned into ominous shadows over the group.

Surprise was truly the greatest element to a sneak attack. Ahead, the faster Magma grunts were throwing Pokéballs in the air. I could see the flash of red as the pre-dawn night was split, but I could not tell the types released.

"Whoa, they're fast." Wally said, jogging beside me to keep pace with Clad.

"What do you expect, slow criminals? I'm sure they're used to running!" I picked up the speed, trying to get a closer site of what my flyers were facing. When we came into range I was shocked. Only a few of the group remained as the rest had disappeared. I looked into the trees on either side of the path, but there was no ambush. Infact, there was little of anything. There were no trainers and no wild Pokémon at all.

I glared forward at the small group of about ten, where before there had been at least thirty. "WHERE DID THE REST GO!" I bellowed at the stomping right up into the face of a man who stood at the front of the group. He looked shocked that a fourteen year old was demanding something from him, and then at the fact that all of these Pokémon were surrounding him. I glared, my patience having a short fuse from being awoken early and grabbed the front of his jacket.

"I said, where did the go?" my voice was dead calm, the tone causing a little bit of surprise in even myself.

"Look, I don't know, OK!" The man cried out, looking frightened, but also confused about why he was frightened. I tightened my grip and leaned closer my eyes glaring deep into his, but I couldn't see a trace of a lie, so I let go, standing back and sighing, sitting, and letting all of my anger go. Whoever these grunts were, they were at least new, so I couldn't exactly be mad at them.

"Look, I'll tell you what we know, but it isn't much. We were hired by Saffron Industries, in the Jhoto region. We were supposed to infiltrate Team Magma and steal some of their technology! Rumor has it that Team Rocket has taken an interest and provided Magma with some tech. Everyone knows that Team Rocket is on the leading edge of industry and anything we could take would be easy for them to make money on." He sat himself, looking apologetic. "We really didn't know..."

"Then why are there so many of you? Surely ten people would be easier to spot then one or two?" I asked, looking at the large group of industrial spies. "Do you at least know what Team Rocket has given to Magma?"

The man pulled his hood back, short cut brown hair looking messed up over intelligent green eyes. "Well, we're all trainers of some sort. It's safer for these missions to have larger groups, so espionage can be passsed around, exempting people who may be suspected by having others do the task while they are in sight of higher ups. It helps if you can only be placed at one crime, so that they continue looking for a needle in a haystack. All we know is that it's cutting edge Pokémon alteration. You know, like Carbos and Iron? Well, it's supposed to make a Pokémon able to fight longer and way stronger. We don't know much else."

"Shit." I mumbled under my breath. I put two and two together pretty quickly that what they were looking for was the rabies virus. I did have those two qualities, but the downs were much worse then could be made up for. Team Rocket was supplementing Magma, were they? Well, I guess I'd have to get around to returning the shot on that front. Maybe not now, but...

I glanced up to the small group and waved for them to follow me and Wally as I headed back to the Pokémon Center.

It was odd, directing so many people. And the fact that only Wally was younger then me made it even odder. We had gotten the Tech thieves out of the Magma uniforms and were doing some light clean-up of the street where I had launched an assault on the group. I hadn't seen Morgan come out of his gym yet, but it was still early in the day and it wasn't like I exactly wanted him to see the mess I had made of his town.

Gathering information from the group, I had learned that the other Magma grunts had all received flying tyoe Pokémon and had gone north. In cleaning we also found a good amount of Pokéballs dropped when I had had Clad use Surf. It seems that the whole group was indeed going to go wherever it was that the group was going to go. I collected the Pokéballs myself and stored them away special, already taking a liking to whatever winged figures were inside.

It took little more then an hour, and by then the Center was bustling again. We moved to the dining area and ate as a group, me and Wally letting out our teams. Each of the fake grunts seemed to have one Pokémon on them, a favorite from the Jhoto region. I was amazed by the variety, seeing an Ampharos and a Noctowl, which I took an especial liking to. So many others and I memorized all of them from my Pokédex.

Eventually we moved on, sharing stories about our journeys and laughing or lending a sympathetic shoulder as the words went on. I learned much about the region of Jhoto, and innevitably, the connected region of Kanto. There were so many sites that I couldn't imagine. A giant tower that sages and Bellsprouts had taken over. A lighthouse that was lit by an Ampharos and a farm that made Moomoo Milk. Mt. Silver and the Elite Four with Dragon Champion Lance. I felt a yearning to see these places, but one thing that struck me was the opening of a Safari Zone.

"Wait, you mean like the one by Mt. Pyre?" I asked excitedly. The past half hour had been spent recounting the tales of the Safari Zone and how they were able to catch anything they wanted.

"Well, I'm not even sure if this Safari Zone would be open, with all the laws and such in Hoenn."

"Wait! It says here, that the Safari Zone is open, but all trainers are limited to one catch. Seems that poachers have been hitting the area hard since the laws against route catches went into action." Wally said, tapping away at a little netbook with a glowing Pokéball label on the lid. I grinned at the news, planning ahead a couple of days, or maybe even just one day's time.

Before I knew it, the talk had taken us through lunch and into the afternoon. When I looked at the time, I was shocked at how fast the day had gone by. Although I wanted to search for and destroy Magma, I only had a general direction to go off of and no idea what they were up to. I stood and strectched.

"Well, it has been good, guys and gals," I said, having passed my Nav around earlier and exchanging numbers with the group, "But I have to get back to Fortree city before dark falls." I shrugged into my jacket as goodbyes were exchanged. "You want a ride there Wally? I assume it's the next gym you have to face."

Wally declined my invite, wanting to get to Fortree over the ground. It seemed that he wanted to catch a new Pokémon on the way and get some training in. I took my leave quickly after that and released Chlor, climbing on his back and setting off as the sun waned in the sky.

Ch.21

I was very cheerful, maybe more then I had a right to, but the day was just... suited for it. Ket and Clad accompanied me outside of their balls. We were grinding on the way from Fortree, me and Clad kicking up the grass. Any land Pokémon that we ran into were dealt with by Clad while Ket picked off the flyers.

The sun was already a good distance in the sky and we had been training heavily for the day. I ran a hand over my belt, smiling. Chlor and Trick had worked well together, Trick even evolving into a Vibrava. It had made me happy, having a Pokémon evolve again. I had been used to having fully evolved and single evolution Pokémon for a bit.

Edge was a little grumpy at having to leave Fortree. I think he had come to like it there, not that I could disagree. It's air was fresh and the wind last night had made the rope bridges sway. And the sky just seemed so much closer.

I think that moment had set me on finding somewhere to live that was just as calm. Of course, not until after the league challenge, but I didn't feel like wandering around forever. I stretched a bit and smiled more. Maybe I could become a teacher, after I grew up. Money had piled up from all my battling and it's not like I'd have much trouble teaching kids how not to kill Pokémon...

I shook myself from the morbid thought and continued on. There were a lot of trainers along this route and when they saw that I had two Pokémon out they would challenge me to double battles. I changed my Pokémon often, letting everyone get stronger, and more worn from the fights at the same time.

I could see a mountain as we continued on, mopping the floor with everyone. I could almost swear that there was a hard fought battle going on at the top, but I couldn't exactly tell. If I had binoculars or something I would have watched it too, looked like a battle that had to be seen to be believed. It was almost noon by now but we hadn't lost steam. Ahead I could see a small building, and I wrinkled my brow at it.

"Hello?" I asked, walking in. There was a small waiting area and a few people in uniform at a desk. I walked forward when one beckoned me forward.

"Welcome to the Safari Zone, the only area in the whole of Hoenn where you can catch whatever Pokémon you want!" he greeted. My eyebrows rose in disbelief, mouth open for a second.

"Wait, you mean that I can catch ANY Pokémon I want here, and the League won't care!"

"Well, there is the restriction that your Pokémon can't go in, and you can only catch one. Even with just those rules, though, it seems that a lot of trainers just can't be happy about it." He had a disappointed look in his eyes for a second before he threw his smile back on. "Of course, I shouldn't be worrying you about that now! You would like to go in, yes? It's 500 Pokédollars to do a round."

I had already been taking the five Pokéballs from my belt and putting them in a small tray. "Course I would. I don't mind catching a new team mate. And one I get to choose, too!"

The man smiled at me and nodded, giving me a small plastic tag with the number '208' on it and a small bag of Pokéballs. As I walked through the back door I pulled one out, picking at it with my fingernail. The top was camouflage looking, but it was pretty cool I guess. I tucked it back in then gasped as I took in the sight. There were a ton of different areas. I could see tall trees from where I stood, and sandy grounds. Of course there was tons of tall grass too, with Pokémon visibly moving through it.

This area looked so wild that I was stunned speechless for a while. Down in the grass I could see other trainers throwing treats to Pokémon, and enjoying their company. I could also see a few loudmouths throwing rocks and chasing after.

I walked down the stairs slowly and closed my mouth. Didn't want to catch any bug types!

The grass was much taller then normal, but not as tall as the terror grass from a few weeks ago. I still shuddered at the thought of that tall sea of it. My mind, however was drawn from it's thoughts as I reached the grass. I decided that a little exploring never hurt anyone, so I walked in and climbed into the lowest branches of one of the tall trees.

My team was already mainly flying, and I didn't see the problem of adding another. After all, what better spot to snag a bird then in a tree!

Time passed as I sat there and I started to frown. I had taken some Pokémon food from my pack and layed it out on the branches but so far I had only spotted a Duduo on the ground. Its two heads quarreled too much for my liking and I dismissed the idea of catching that particular Pokémon.

I gave up after an hour on the branch, jumping down and leaving a small treat for the wingless bird. The perfect Pokémon to catch just HAD to be around, I knew it! The problem was finding it in this crowded area of the zone. I stared my long leisurely walk from the Safari Zone's entrance, eventually making my way through so tight squeezed rocks and to another area.

Personally, I thought it was silly, the rocks. They gave the impression of being impassible and it looked like people were doing some crazy bike tricks to get into the same area. Fortunately I didn't see any of the people on the bike path come close to where I was headed. Ahead of my was the forest that seemed to permeate every route. I was sure that very few people searched there and I wanted so be one of the few.

The air underneath the canopy was cool, tall grass smattering about inside. I could hear the quiet calls of Pokémon and smiled, looking around. This area felt truly wild, untouched as the clearing I had found myself in before getting to Fortree. I sat next to a small tree and took out a sandwich, munching it as I ran my hand over the bracelet. "Pooch, Peck, Bliz, and Volk..."

"I know that we started a long time ago, and some of you didn't get to see much of the world, or meet the great Pokémon along the way. I just hope that you're happy and proud that we're moving on. Me and Ket miss you, Pooch and Peck. Clad, Ket and I miss you, Bliz and Volk. Chlor and Trick didn't even get a chance to meet you all, though. It's sad that they'll never know how great you guys were..." I trailed off, wiping a tear. It wasn't the most eloquent way to say it, but it made my heart feel lighter, talking to them.

I sniffled. _Please... Help..._ I jumped and looked around, having braced myself at the voice. I stood slowly, and narrowed my eyes. The calls of wild Pokémon were undisturbed, however, and I slowly leaned against the tree. "Wow, I thought someone was talking to me for a second there. Crazy, huh Volk?"

_Heeeelp... _Came the pitying cry. With it a wave of sadness and fear hit me. I curled my arms around myself crouching down as my eyes watered with tears. My stomach lurched with a small amount of pain and I was sick, my sandwich greeting me in half digested mushy lumps. I coughed, sucking in air then heaved again, my stomach contents seeping into the soft soil. I felt a tugging inside me as the strong feelings hit me again. I sobbed and then bit my lip, trying not to collapse.

It wasn't as bad as when I'd lost someone, though. I held that thought and pushed myself up, mouth quivering. The feelings were still there but I was able to push them away from my core a little bit. Sniffling as I took one step, then another into the deep forest.

Another wave, this time carrying loneliness, hit me. I wavered a little but kept going. I filled my head with happy thoughts. Watching Volk, happy as a small Torchic. Then later when Volk was a Combusken and Clad an Aron. I smiled and sniffled a little more, thinking about them together. Then I thought about catching Ket. The wonderful, beautiful ember fountain that Volk had used, causing Ket to hurt herself with her own speed. My smile grew wider, thinking of the good. It helped ease my heart and whatever was pushing on me seemed less... lonely.

I giggled a little as I kept walking and thinking, lightening the mood that had come over me. My feet moved by themselves, carrying me deeper into the forest. I didn't notice however, deep in the good memories. My first time meeting Lucy, realizing that I wasn't alone. Wally was there, from the start. I remember the first night, being forced to sleep outside Petalburg because I couldn't keep up...

I finally shook my head, looking around. The warmth was still inside me but I shivered outside, seeing darkness in all directions. "Oh... Shiftry!" I yelled my half swear, kicking the ground. I had been so... distracted that I hadn't noticed getting pulled... wherever the hell I was!

"Hello! You need help, right!" I called. A few Zubat whizzed past my head and I ducked. It was definitely dark enough to be a cave in here. A sense of relief filled me and again tugged me, stronger then a few minutes ago.

I walked with the tugging, thinking happy thoughts to ease whatever it was. I didn't really know what, maybe a spirit that had heard me talking to my deceased Pokémon? I tried not to think about it too much, forming no expectations.

When I did see what was pulling me however, my stomach dropped. There was a very small clearing in the forest and what I saw shocked me. There was a small Natu, hanging from a tree. Its leg was caught in some sort of vine. I instantly rushed forward, whispering sweetly to the Pokémon as I untied its leg.

My eyes narrowed as examined what I had thought of as a vine before. It was definitely man-made, though. There was some sort of metal in the weave and I tucked the rope into my pack. The Natu was nestled in my arm, eyes closed and looking perfectly calm and happy to be there. I gave the feathers on the top of it's head a soft stroke and it cooed it's name at me.

A strong sense of joy filled me and I started giggling, a wide grin splitting my mouth in two. "Hey little thing, were you the one that was calling me?"

I got a strong sense to the affirmative. It was a little disconcerting, but I just closed my eyes and smiled. "Hey, wait. Psychic Pokémon can talk to people?" Another wave that felt like 'Yes' flowed over me and I scowled. "Lucy, you are so going down for not telling me that!"

I grumbled and shook my head over her for almost a minute, highly tempted to pull out my 'Nav and berate her over a call. Luckily for her, I guess, I didn't feel like disturbing the small bird in my arm to get to my pack.

"So, little one. Would you like to get back to your family and friends now?"

"Na-tu!" it - or should I say she? - yelled. Another wave hit me and it felt... Warm, and clingy. I simply nodded and reached into the small pouch on my waist. "Okay, little one. But if you want to come with me you have to go into this ball, OK?"

The ball only shook once after we had gotten free of the small forest. On my way back I noticed that there were many traps among the leaves, some old some new. I gathered as much of them as I could, and triggered all the still set ones with branches. I wasn't sure on the rules here in the Safari Zone, but there was no way that these types of things were allowed.

"OK Wisp." I said to the ball. "Come on out!" The light was bright as per usual and Wisp stretched on the ground before quickly climbing up and nestling on my shoulder. She cuddled against my cheek, my long hair resting over her gently. "We have to get back to the Safari Zone entrance and inform the guys there that there are poachers.

I took one step and the lurched as it went dark in front of me. I coughed and a second later we were at the gates, me feeling slightly woozy. "Did we just... Teleport?" I asked hesitantly. Wisp nodded hard, chirping proudly to herself and I grinned before rushing into the building.

It was sunset before I got back with the rangers, having saved a few more trapped Pokémon. There had been no poachers in the forest, oddly enough. I was mad at them and would have relished the chance to pound the crud from them for doing such an evil thing.

The rangers, in thanks, offered me a cot in the bunker. They were grateful for the help, and for being informed that the poachers were back. No matter what I did, Wisp didn't want to go inside her ball, though. I simply wrapped my arm around the small psychic ball, getting a warm wave again from her before I closed my eyes.

Chapter 22

_That was exciting, Master._ Wisp said, her mental voice, normally calm had a bit of wonder to it. I smiled down at her and nodded. It hadn't been long between getting her free from that poacher's trap and her evolving. I had been surprised at the speed of it, but happy. She still refused to go into her Pokéball, but I didn't mind. The company was nice.

"It was exciting." I admitted ruefully. "But I don't think we'll be doing another. Edge got his nice shiny ribbon and no one else seemed to mind." We were in Lillycove City, talking of the recent Pokémon contest that me and Edge had entered, and to my surprise, won.

The cool sea breeze ruffled my hair and clothes as we walked, avoiding the busy hub-bub of people. I really couldn't decide whether here or Slateport was busier. There was a wide beach on the edge of town, sea water washing against the fine sand. There were also many tide pools around, but there were no Pokémon in them.

I was half tempted to visit the department store but I really didn't need the extra cost. And besides, the sun was out here, and nothing was going wrong. It had been a long time since I had been able to stop in a city without rushing around trying to do SOMETHING. I mean, besides the contest I hadn't done anything here.

"Y'know Wisp, I think this is the first calm day that I've had in a long time. No Gym Leader to beat, no evil Team to thwart." I concentrated on the memories so that she could see what I meant. "And no random League Official or other person challenging me to a battle. You know, for all the people in this town there doesn't seem to be as many trainers as a simple route."

_Yes, Master. This town seems like a nice place. Perhaps the Contest Hall is reason for the lack of battles?_ I pondered the statement for a second and had to agree. Most trainers in town would either be training or in the Contests. I had a sudden flash of memory and smiled, thinking it over. It was of the TV show, May entering a Contest. I thought for a moment about it then compared it to my experiences.

"Wow, nothing alike. That was definitely more battle based. I think I'd prefer it just for the battle." I commented to myself. Then the memory was fleeting, so I didn't put too much stock into it. I looked around the city again, and then had Wisp Teleport us to the beach. I stood there, smiling at the ocean for a great while and contemplating what came next. Mossdeep was across the ocean, a big island with a Space Center and Gym.

I glanced to my belt and then the water. There is no way that I was going to Surf across on Clad's back. The weather had gotten colder and with it the water. Flying is definitely the way to go. Wisp was a bit too small, and even with evolving she was a bit too weak in the Psychic department to carry me.

"Chlor, come on out!" I called, tossing the ball high into the air. Chlor burst free, calling his name and shaking his leaf wings in the bright sun. I smiled at him. He looked so much healthier for the training and sun since I had woken up. I made note to pick up more food after getting to Mossdeep.

I climbed onto Chlor's back and the three of us took to the air. I looked down, holding close to the dino's warm body. The sun was warm this high, but the wind was a little bitter.

Down below I watched the water form into waves around rocks that breached the surface. The sun reflected brightly and swimmers did their paces, their Pokémon nearby. I was a little sad at missing some chances to talk and maybe battle, but I was fine without being in that cold water.

I grinned at some determined looking trainers heading towards Mossdeep, pulling out my Pokédex. There were an assortment of large water Pokémon. Wailords and Wailmers were the prime choices, with a few Sharpedo. Wingulls danced through the sky over them, and I waved to some near me.

It took almost five hours to get to Mossdeep. The sun had just set and lights twinkled from the buildings. Wisp had landed on Chlor's back a while ago and I had my arms wrapped around her, sharing warmth. My eyes drooped every once in a while but we kept up sending our feelings back and forth.

"Chlor." I called softly above the wind as he slowed down. "Let's land north of the city and camp out tonight." We spiraled down slowly, watching the water and a cave in the distance. There were flat areas of land all around and we landed on one with a few trees.

I let everyone out, them all happy even in the slight cold. I lay down among them after we settled in, watching the stars. It had been quite the good day and I fell asleep quickly.

Trick, a Vibrava now, buzzed his wings next to my ear. I had to groan at the impromptu alarm and I snuggled into Ket, Wisp, and Clad. Trick jumped on my head and used his legs to dig into my hair a bit, vibrating my skull.

"That feels so weird!" I said, voice loud and vibrating like I was in a massage chair. I sat up and laughed, pulling Trick into my lap. It was still early in the day. About 10 in the morning or so by my best guess. Chlor and Edge were a bit off, looking at the town and gossiping. I then noticed that both Wisp and Ket were awake as well, speaking softly. Pup, a Poochyena I had caught on my way into Lilycove was walking in circles nearby, prodding cautiously at the ground. As far as I could tell so far he was a bit high strung, and I hadn't been able to get him into any battles.

The only one left asleep was Clad. I chuckled and patted the big softy before standing to stretch and socialize with my Pokémon. It took almost an hour, but after that everyone was in their Pokéballs except Wisp and Trick.

Wisp Teleported us into town, very near to the Gym. I eagerly went up to the door and tugged on it, only for it not to budge. I looked at it stupidly for a second then saw a small sign. "Mossdeep Gym, open 4pm – Midnight."

_So we will have to return later, Master?_ Wisp asked, sticking close to my side.

"Looks like it Wisp. Well, I did need to stock up on food and such. To the Pokémart!" I yelled, putting an arm in the air and running off. Trick held on tight, buzzing his name happily. Wisp let out a wave of surprise and then flew after us.

I ended up getting lost for a few hours, finally finding the Pokémart at lunch. Me and the gang devoured a decent amount of food that I had no trouble paying for what-so-ever. My mind boggled at the money I had and how I had ever struggled in the games.

There were tall, gangly trees in this city and, glancing at my PokéNav, I decided to nap under one. Wisp and Trick got into a game of tag and I smiled as I watched them. Instead of my nap I pulled out my dex. I needed a strategy.

"Hey! Hurry up Slowpoke!" I called, racing into the Gym.

_Although Slowpoke are also Psychic types, I do not appreciate the comparison Master. _Wisp replied in a huff. I simply wrapped her in a hug and rushed into the Gym.

I was confused by the first room. There were no stairs or ladders, trap holes or even doors. All there was were a few floor mats around. I wrinkled my brow at the empty room and walked around, hand in front of me to make sure there weren't any invisible walls in my way.

Disgruntled, I stopped in the middle of the room for the fifth time. "Seriously! What is up with this place!" I walked over, prepared to pick up one of the floor mats and see if there was a trapdoor under it. As soon as my finger touched the surface I lurched and face planted into the tile of the new room.

I groaned as my stomach turned on me and my head throbbed a little. The new room was just as empty as the first but now there was no door to lead out of the Gym. I rubbed my stomach and then Wisp launched through the portal running into me. She wrapped her wings around me, her thoughts being filled with worry and anxiety. I sent reassuring thoughts back and then continued on.

Eventually I landed in a larger room, obviously meant for the battles. There were a few Pokémon roving around, fixing up the field with a few final touches. I blinked at this, because among them were a few, very cute, Sandslash and Sandshrew. I smiled and hugged one of the Sandshrew to me as I walked around. It was tired of working and had no problem with the action.

There were two kids on a small stage type thing and I walked over to them. "Hey, are you two the Gym Leaders!"

The girl looked up and grinned. She had slightly darker skin and dark hair. The boy was a red head and freckled. He just looked at me a little sadly.

"Uh, yes, we are. My name's Marisol and this is Hamish." she said, bobbing like she had a little too much sugar. The boy simply nodded as I closed the distance. They weren't that much shorter then me and I held my hand out.

"Nice to meet you both. My name is Tiran. I'm here for a Gym Battle." I replied. Marisol shook my hand excitedly, though her eyes looked a little haunted. The Sandshrew jumped away from us and went back to working on the field.

"Shouldn't your name by Brendon?" she asked, eyeing my hair closely.

I frowned at her a pulled a lock of it outwards. "Come on. Does that look white to you! It's... Platinum Brown!" I had to laugh a bit at the new color. "Besides, Brendon wears a hat."

Marisol gave a self-important look to Hamish. "I TOLD you it was a hat!" she called. I just had to grin at the two. Hamish hadn't talked at all, but at least he was smiling a little now.

"Now! Gym Battle!" I said loudly, putting my arm in the air again. They both looked at me, then to each other, then back at me. They nodded and indicated the other side of the field, which was now repaired.

"Solrock!" "Lunatone!" They called out. The two weird Pokémon burst onto the field and I was surprised. I couldn't remember seeing them before, but I knew they were Rock/Psychic types. I had the perfect duo prepared for this battle.

"Clad and Trick, you're up!" I yelled. My Pokémon burst onto the field, Clad roaring and Trick buzzing excitedly. I smiled and then went straight for my 'take them unawares' tactic. "Cald, Surf. Trick, Faint Attack into Crunch!"

Both of my Pokémon launched themselves into the commands. Trick disappeared then reappeared behind Solrock, landing a hefty dark attack and then crunching down into the floating stone. Water roared forward and right as it was about to hit the three Trick flew straight up, avoiding the attack. My powerful steal type roared out as the water faded away and I looked in shock. Solrock was already down on the ground, fainted from the triple attack while Lunatone had taken some serious critical damage.

Both of them gasped out them Marisol returned the downed Pokémon, letting a Xatu in its place.

"Lunatone! Hit that bug with a Psychic!" Hamish called. Marisol spoke softer and the room seemed to brighten quite a bit. I grunted a little but didn't take my eyes from the field. Trick tried to dodge the incoming Psychic wave but failed, being hit by it almost full force. He tumble towards me, skipping a few times across the ground like a stone over water.

I grit my teeth but knew he could take it. My little bug was powerful and I had no doubt he would live this battle. Clad roared and launched another Surf at the opposing team, followed immediately by a Shockwave. The electricity fused with the water and washed over the enemies. The water hurt Lunatone the most while the added voltage took Xatu down a peg.

By now there were attacks flying every which way and Shouts of success and hurt from both sides. Lunatone fired off another Psychic before being downed by I targeted Surf. Trick was able to use Faint Attack effectively to completely skirt the field, landing hit after hit on the Xatu.

The two weren't giving up without a good fight though, and were inflicting some serious damage on my own Pokémon. I had to give a cheer when I was down to fighting 2v1. Hamish's Claydol was a tuff cookie though.

It roughed out many of Trick's Dark attacks along with Clad's Iron Tail/Rollout combination. There was a huge explosion as a Psychic, Shockwave, and Dragonbreath met in the center of the field.

I held my breath and tried to peer through the settling smoke. I could make out Clad, and then Trick. Both were still standing, ready for a long hard fight. And then I could see it, the Claydol was down, eyes aswirl. I waited for a second and then ran onto the field with a whooping laugh, hugging both of my Pokémon tight.

I celebrated the victory almost a minute before Marisol and Hamish came over, smiling and congratulating me. Marisol handed me the heart shaped badge and I smiled, rubbing it with my thumb. I had gotten another badge and my team seemed to be invincible for the time being.

"That was a great battle. Your move combinations were quite uncanny." Hamish said, breaking the comfortable silence. I smiled and nodded to him at the compliment.

"Well, I'm sure it was nothing compared to Lucy's battle. Unless she hasn't been here yet. Then you're in for a real treat." I said with a smile. I looked at them and my smile turned to confusion at their expressions.

"Y-you know Lucy?" Marisol asked quietly.

"Yeah, she's like my big sister. Helped me figure out that I wasn't the only one from our world." I responded, getting worried from their expressions and the tone of voice.

"She was here earlier." Hamish said softly, a look of disbelief crossing his face. "We killed her Gyrados."

"A little, yeah," Lucy agreed. She looked away from me and I glanced behind me, an action I had much cause for doing. A few men in League uniforms walked in. Their black outfits from tip to toe only broken by the League symbols on their clothing. I pursed my mouth as Caid came to the forefront of my mind, then washed it away before the natural progression of thoughts.

"Tabitha Samuels," One of them said, walking over. He had weird plastic things in his hands, like a larger version of zip ties. She was completely complacent as he put them on her. My brow was knit, taking a step back from the situation and trying to make sense of it. We were in a battle shattered space center, one master mind gone, a lackey being taken away by officials. Were'nt the police always incompetent here? Before I could think more a voice interrupted my musings.

"Sad, isn't it?"

"Steven, yes, it is quite sad."

I turned to look at the man. Steven was tall, definitely older with shaggy grey hair and slate colored eyes. His name nagged at me and my brows were back together again, the light brown of my hair falling into my vision as I tried to figure out where I knew him from. I definitely hadn't seen him before...

"To think that you won't realize the consequences of your actions until it is far too late," he sighed, dropping his head and turning to face me for a second. His eyes were slitted open the tiniest margin, as if examining me and thinking of something serious. "We need to discuss what happens next."

"Aqua," Lucy said, though I had no idea what she was talking about. Aqua? Wasn't Archie the leader? I had met him once in Meteor Falls and he hadn't seemed so bad at all. It was Magma that needed to pay.

Steven bowed his head again. "Yes, that was what I was afraid of. Magma has made their stand and now it can only be assumed that Aqua will follow. They are bound and determined, it seems, to walk the same path," he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Champion," One of the men in black said. My eyes widened in surprise. "The girl is unresponsive to our queries; what do you want us to do?"

Steven frowned for a second, looking at Tabitha. She was completely unresponsive, staring bleakly at her hands, a few tears in her eyes. "We'll take her with us; perhaps then she will clue us in on the precise happenings of her enigmatic leader. As for you two, we greatly appreciate your help in capturing one of the more prominent members of this organization. In thanks, I would like to offer you these," he reached into his inner pockets and pulled out two of the same device, handing one to me. I looked it over curiously, looking over the orange colored tubes and small oval cylinder between them. "They are miniature ventilators; you bite down on the round part and breathe in the air that comes from the orange off chutes."

"Um, why…?" Lucy asked, fidgeting with hers.

"They hold thirty minutes worth of air in them," Steven continued on. "Just enough time to do some underwater exploration, don't you think?" He commented at Lucy, mischief in his expression. He turned away and then looked right back to me. "That was some fancy footwork you did with those flying types of yours." He paused, as if to decide his next words carefully. "Better than even a few Gym Leaders I know." I stared at the Champion before mulling it over. I had never put real thought into this situation of after, but... With all my flying type pokemon that I had caught along the way and how close they all were to me. Clad was the only one that didn't fit the Leader theme.

"That was quite a compliment." Lucy said.

"Yeah... but oddly enough it isn't the first time. I met a girl in Fortree and she said something similar..." I had to shake my head and smile, looking back a the rebreather. "I don't know about you, but I don't think I'll have much use for this... I prefer to keep to the skies instead of near the water."

I stuck my tongue out at Lucy, pocketing the device in any case. Eventually it may come in handy but for the time being it was a nice weight in my pocket.

"Some of us prefer to have solid ground under our feet. You can have as much atmosphere as you want, I'll take a few laps around the ocean." Lucy replied. She played with the device before holding it still and looking back to me. "Where are you going after this?"

"Oh I don't know, maybe back to Petalburg, to visit my parents and tell them how far I've come." I joked, smiling. "Sootopolis. It's the last gym, and it feels important, being the very last badge and all. I definitely can't train in Victory Road, so after that I need to find a place with strong grass types." Now it was bugging me, something nagging at the back of my head like it had with Steven. Sootopolis... I had to get there for something other then the badge, didn't I?

"I know what you mean," she said, "it's the last badge, there's that sense of nervous excitement whenever I think about it. But…" Lucy trailed off, looking like she was thinking of something half remembered. Probably the same expression I got every now and then. Then she smiled. "I've got an idea. How about we race? You through the skies, me underwater. See who gets there first?"

"Ha! I'll win that!" I said, standing and dusting myself off. The sun was hitting off the shattered glass just right to make it feel like we were in some sort of spotlight. "No trainers in the air to slow me down!"

"Then it's on, little brother." Lucy held out her hand to shake on it.

I stuck my hand in hers, giving a firm shake and then grinning. "Start!" I said loudly, running for the window. I smiled and brought a pokeball forward, letting Chlor out midair and then jumping from the shattered remains of glass to his back, Wisp flying right after me. "See ya at the finish line big sis!"

My teeth chattered. The nice weather from Mossdeep had only lasted so long. Now the storm was picking up and the cold rain was lashing me. My eyes wandered left and right as I checked on Chlor's wings. The leafy dinosaurs appendages were tough, no matter what they looked like.

"We can't give up now Chlor. We have to be close!" The sky opened up in response to me, lightning flashing. The air near us sizzled and then exploded. We were falling. "Chlor!" I screamed out, air passing through my fingers. I couldn't even hear myself and my eyes were imprinted with the blast of light.

Swinging wildly I connected with my dino's skin and struggled that way, holding on for dear life. Our freefall ended smoother than I would have thought and I gasped, blinking hard as I slid from his back and onto wet sand.

Eyes slowly clearing I looked around. We were on an island in the middle of all the water. "Good job Chlor." I said, hugging him hard and returning him for a good rest. "You nap for a while then we'll keep going."

The wind whistled harshly, driving waves onto the small island. To the middle there were three rocks, perfect as windbreaks. My coat flapped in all directions as I walked. The storm was truly powerful. "Lucy's on the waves right now. I can't complain about a little lightning flash."

'_It'll be OK Master. This island seems to be holding up in the storm._' Wisp said, walking sedately behind me. I nodded and smiled a bit. She would be safer in her ball but it was good to have her next to me. There was a sarcastic snort in my mind in response to the thought.

As I rounded the rocks my eyes widened. "Magma!" I yelled. A grunt was huddled on the ground, shivering in the wet. He turned and snarled something at me, his face cast into relief by a bolt of lightning and his words drowned by the thunder. He had a Pokéball in his hands and threw it.

"Work you USELESS THING!" he shouted. I felt a shiver go down my spine and my breath catch. An Electrike appeared before me. Not just any Electrike... Thorn.

"You bastard..." My voice was low and a few tears were in my eyes. "I finally caught up to you." I said, wiping my nose as it began to run. Small scars crisscrossed Thorn's body, evidence of abuse. I looked into my stolen Pokémon's eyes and sobbed, him finally recognizing me and letting out a cautious, but happy cry of his name.

The Magma Grunt looked confused by this. Perfect for me, because I walked up to him. So many vile thoughts were running through my mind. What I should do to this man who stole my Pokémon so long ago now. Fallarbor seemed like a world away. Lightning flashed again and my knee raised as I grabbed his shoulders. I connected with a small smile as he crumpled. "Knee 'em in the groin. Best fighting advice."

'_We shouldn't let him stay here. We should stay the night Master.'_ Wisp said. I nodded in reply. "Can you send him away Wisp?" I asked softly. She gave an affirmative and they both disappeared for a second, Wisp returning a second later.

The Magma Grunt taken care of, I sat down and held Thorn close. "I missed you little guy. I'm never, ever letting your ball out of my sight again. I won't let anyone take you away from me." Thorn cooed to me as I sobbed, body wrapped around his. I traced the small marks on his hide, eyes leaking as I used crushed berries and medicine from the marts to soothe the aches away.

"I missed you buddy." I sniffled, sleeping with him after he dozed off in my arms. In the morning I stood, calling out Chlor. Let's go boy. We have to get to Sootopolis.

The waves were underneath us, but just barely. We were safer from the lightning at this altitude but the high waves were a danger that kept us alert. Ahead was a tall rock of pure white. "There Chlor. Can you see it?"

"Trooop!" he called out, making me smile. With an extra boost of speed we were on our way to the center of the storm. The wind howled as we approached, making Chlor's wings shake. Catching an updraft we broke through. The change was immense. Heat roiled from the center of the city and as we came down I gasped. Kyogre and Groudon...

The red goliath was perched on a small section of land. Heat danced on its magma like back as it shot fire at its opponent. Kyogre swam around it, lashing out with waves and water attacks that outclassed any Pokémon I had fought.

I couldn't get my breath as we landed. People watched in terror, some getting hit by rogue waves.

"Tiran!" Called an unfamiliar voice. The man was dressed in a white and teal outfit, plus a cape to match. His hair was teal and long. "I'm Wallace. Stephen gave me a picture. Come with me."

That whole 'Don't go with strangers' thing was pushed under the rug for this. He grabbed my elbow and lead me to a cave. The painting in it was very impressive and I found my awareness drifting as I looked at it. There was a large green dragon in the center, flanked by Groudon and Kyogre.

"The short version is that you, Lucy, and the gym leaders were pulled into this world in response to the threat you see before you." He had a nice accent as he informed me, which made my trance only slightly deeper. "Lucy was here earlier and we sent her after Rayquaza. In the meantime... We're open to attack..."

'_He tells the truth._' Wisp informed me, transferring a few images of Wallace's talk to Lucy to me. I nodded mentally to Wisp and took in a few details that Wallace hadn't had the time to transfer to me in normal conversation.

"I think we could hold of those beasts. If you don't have any defenses left." I replied. I was unsure why I was offering to help at first then the faces of the city folk popped into my mind. 'Real', said a deeper part of me and I nodded to myself. "Of course I will help." My voice was determined and the gym leader smiled at me.

As I stood up I got whacked in the face by something and yelled, grabbing for Clad's ball and flinging it at the thing. It took me a moment to realize that I had flung an empty Pokéball at a wild Zubat.

"I think it liked you." Wallace deadpanned as I picked up the successfully captured Pokémon and pocketed it. Now was not the time to joke around.

As I came out the light was returning, and I gasped at the scene, grabbing for my belt and letting out everyone. "Stay close to me, Clad, Thorn, and Pup. Let's watch the flyers this time!"

Wisp lead the battle, shouting to me that it would be as I wished. I smiled and watched those wings flap. Wisp, Chlor, Ket, Edge, and Trick launched themselves forward with my prayers behind. Turning, me and the rest of my Pokémon moved towards the residents. "Get inside! It's not safe out here!"

While a 12 year old yelling about danger isn't all that impressive, when he had an Aggron it got people to move.

I turned just in time to see a rock hurtling through the air towards us. My grounded Pokémon were on it before I could call out an order and I smiled.

The light came in shafts or not at all upon this fight. Just when it got to be where you couldn't see the Legendary Pokémon glowed bright, giving off their locations and letting us see any incoming projectiles.

I sat and connected my mind with Wisp. She let me in, keeping me updated and helping me know where and how everybody was. The sun slowed in the sky and I winced as Edge was clipped. '_Edge, back to the center then you can fight again. You're the first of the second wave.'_

The last bit was for his pride. He returned quickly then my eyes widened. A flurry of rocks were headed my way. Looking around, both Thorn and Pup had evolved. I smiled then screamed out as a rock got by. It wasn't as hard as I had been expecting and my eyes widened. Ket was on me, the Swellow blocking the damage. I heard a crack and Wisp conveyed to me the pain spike that came from Ket before she passed out.

"Guys, to the center. We need to get Ket there!" I hefted the bird with help from Clad and rushed to the red roofed building. I saw Edge being treated by a Chancey and took Ket to the main desk. There were people huddled down on the Center's couches, seeking refuge from the raw power that was outside. Many other Pokémon, beaten down earlier were being tended to by makeshift nurses in this time of need.

"Nurse Joy, I need help." I called. The woman appeared in no time and I passed Ket to her. She looked with a critical eye. "Broken wing, nothing serious but she's out of this fight."

I nodded grimly and turned, sending the message to Wisp. "_Ket will be okay. How is everyone else doing?"_ '_They're good.' _she replied.

I walked back into the dark. Both Legendaries raged in the center of Sootopolis. Groudon cast molten rock from its mouth at Kyogre. The water legendary replied in kind with a torrential blast. The magma cooled and stones were blasted into the far side of the city, a house collapsing under the assault.

Kyogre leaped from the water and belly flopped, a wave rising from its location in all directions. Groudon took a direct hit and I took a breath as the wave approached. "Clad, Surf against that wave, Thorn, give Clad's wave a boost with Spark!"

The two nodded and rushed to the edge of the water. Clad dipped his arms into the liquid and started a large wave to crash forward. Thorn charged himself up, eyes glowing. "ManECTRIC!" he shouted, releasing the electricity into the water and giving Clad's wave a huge boost. The two forces connected and for a second, Kyogre's pushing back my Pokémon's combined attack for a few seconds before Clad's wave exploded with electrical force, shattering the two waves apart.

"Perfect you two!" I shouted, rushing forward to hug them. The light came through the clouds, bright as can be. I winced at the change and was almost blinded to the fire attack Groudon launched.

'_Watch out Master!_' Wisp shouted. My eyes cleared to see a large flame caught in psychic force. The two struggled back and forth, the psychic force eventually forcing the flame down into the water, causing a huge burst of steam.

"Thank you Wisp." I said out loud, holding my chest from the fright. "You and Chlor get to the Pokémon Center. Trick will hold it until Edge is back out here."

My Pokémon swapped ranks and I kept an eye on the fighting Legendaries. Their fight, although dangerous and destructive, had a bit of graceful fluidity to it. I gasped at the red hot magma that swirled with the water, turning to rock then shattered by their next attacks. Kyogre launched a Hydro Pump that was scattered off of Groudon's skin, the mist causing a rainbow over Sootopolis in the bright sunlight.

I was worn down now, watching as my Pokémon around me helped protect the city. Edge was back in the air, sharp wings slicing through the rainbows. Trick had retreated, worn down by the fight. He was almost strong enough to evolve to a Flygon, but it wouldn't happen today.

"Tiran, thank you for buying us time." Wallace said, gripping my shoulder. I started and looked back at him. "My team has recovered. You and your team rest, just in case Lucy doesn't return by the time I need to retreat again."

I nodded. "Come back everyone!" I called, returning to the Center with my team. My Pokémon were all taken to heal their injuries. I kept my mind between them and the battle outside. I watched as Wallace broke the Legendaries attacks, conserving his strength for protecting the city. His Pokémon moved perfectly in sync with each other.

I was tapped on the shoulder and turned to see Nurse Joy. "I set your Swellow's wing, would you like to see her?"

I nodded and was led deeper into the Center. Ket was on a bed, left wing wrapped in a hard cast. I smiled and hugged her gently, relaxing with my oldest Pokémon. "We're almost there Ket."

My team fully healed, I waited to be needed again, watching through the Center window with Wisp. My eyes widened as the clouds opened and the green dragon, Rayquaza, appeared.


End file.
